Evening star., 1944-08-13
By Leila Mechiin.

DJ LCbN I1 mum
Artists are generally considered
Impractical, especially with reference
to money matters, but certainly thi
charge could not be brought agains
either Henry Ward Ranger or JOSEPH
Pennell in as much as the funds
established by them for the ad-
vancement of art and artists were
80 we'll invested that they have
doubled in value since the donors
deaths. Both of these funds directly
profit national institutions-the for
mer the National Art Collection ad-
ministered by the Smithsonian In
stitution, the latter the Library OF
Congress through its Division OF
Prints. Pennell as almost every one
knows was an etcher and htho'
srapher. hence his gift was to ao-
vance the graphic arts. while Rang
er, although National Academlclan
was a painter of landscapes, one OF
many, and therefore perhaps less
famous.
But Ranger was close friend OF
William T. Evans, who, it will be
recalled, gave, in 1907, valuable
collection of paintings by contempt
rary American artists to our Natlona
Gallery Of Art, then lately legallzed
under the Smithsonian Institution
In the Evans collection Mr., Ranger
was tand isl represented by foul
paintings all of subjects found in
Connecticut, of which the best
known is "Bradbury's Mill Pond
by no means dissimilar in style and
\ feeling to the charming woodland
painting by Corot and Courbet re-
Gently given to the National Gallery
of Art by Mr.. and Mrs. Freullns-
huysen of New York.
This is after all not unreasonable
for after studying in this country
Mr.. Ranger went abroad and un'
doubtedly came under the influence
of the Barbizon school which was
then attracting much attention. But
he never lost his own personality
From the first to last he was ar
American in independence OF vision
and adhesion to established ideals
The country that he most loved to
paint was that at his own home
door.
FeH0v Conspirators
It has always been a question
whether Ranger influenced Evans to
give his collection to the Nation, or
Evans who put into his mind the
plan fer continuing his beneficence
later carried out After all it does
not matter, for certainly in these
matters they were of one mind and
fellow w-conspirators. Almost Away:
they came to Washington together
How great was their enthusiasm
What good times they had!
Ranger died in 1916, about two
years before his patron friend, whose
collecting had by then been halted
through failure in business. Hav-
ing no near relatives he beQueathed
his entire estate to the Nationa
Academy of Design to be known as
'the H. w. Ranger Bequest," the in
come from which to constitute the
Ranger Fund to be used to pur-
chase paintings by contemporary
American artists. These works &C.
cording to the will were to be dis.
tributed to art museums and gal.
leries throughout the country, with
however, the provision that on al
acquired the National Gallery of Art
in Washington was to have first
choice during five-year period fol.
lowing the death of the artist. The
responsibility for purchase was laic
upon the Council of the Nationa
Academy.
Obviously this works to advantage
from several angles. The artists are
stimulated in the matter of pro.
duction, the various museums by
possession for longer or shorter per.
iods and the upbuilding indeflnitel,
of the collection of American art il
our national city assured in perpe
trity. In case the National Caller,
or its administrator fails to claim
any work within the time limi
set the work goes back to the insti
tuition to which it had been as
signed-to remain indefinitely.
At the time that william T. Evan
was assembling his collection o
paintings by American artists ant
Henry Ward Ranger was attaining
outstanding reputation as an artist
the American school of Landscape
painting reached its height. Il
almost all the then current exhibi
tions landscape paintings predomi
mated. These we're of country view
typically American and invariabl.
lovely to look upon, appealing il
beauty. The haunted house, thu
filling station in its red paint, th'
ash can, back alleys and sordit
street scenes had not been though
of as suitable themes for reproduc
ton, much less Interpretation. Th'
artists painted, to be sure, what the!
saw, but only that which seemed tt
them to be worth remembrance.
They Opened the Windows
In the present day, when to shocl
has become an end in itself, sucf
paintings may seem bit tame-bu
it is a tameness of which to b'
proud and also emulated. Thes'