Evening star., 1946-06-16
Capital Sidelights
By VIII p. Kennedy.

In these days of wire transmission of
photographs and television, when the
White House photographers are chasing
all news angles, it seems hard to be-
lieve that only few years ago our
statesmen had to endure long and weary
hours sitting for portrait painters and
sculptors in order that their counterfeit
presentments" might be preserved for
posterity.
Anne Royal. the termigant publisher
of Paul Pry and the Huntress, pre-
cursors of the scandal sheets" of today,
who was tried as common scold" and
sentenced to punishment on ducklng
stool, was one of the first to investigate
the process of the daguerreotype in
Washington. She reported in the
Huntress: 1T requires but few minutes
to take a likeness. You have nothing
to do but sit still upon your chair and
look through a tube. AT first you see
nothing; but in a short time (in our
case the cap border was distinctly dis
cernble, and the face soon came into
full view" She assured timorous per-
sons with doubts as to its being quite
ladylike to have pictures taken: No
lady need apprehend the least thing un-
pleasant. AS soon as she arrives Charles
Brainard of Boston steps forward and
offers his services and protection"
Mrs. Royal, although reputed to be of
royal Stuart blood through the merry
monarch Charles II, and named after
the English Queen Anne, could put
printing press together, but admitted
she could not fathom the daguerreotype
process: I'VE have no conception of this
mystery and should like to understand
it. To us it appears superhuman. and
among our greatest discoveries"
Elsewhere We find records of how
Webster, Clay, Calhoun and Jackson. in
the prime OF life sat for their likenesses
Webster underwent the ordeal in the
year l849, in an art gallery at the corner
of Fulton street and Broadway. New
York, opposite St Pauls Church. He
arrived punctually and unattended
wearing "a blue dress coat ornamented
with richly-gilt buttons" Clay sat for
his picture in New York in 1850, directly
after he had announced in favor of the
Compromise Act, couple of hours be-
fore public reception in his honor at
City Hall. Chief of Police Matsell had
the camera taken to the Governors
room. Calhoun sat in Washington in
l849-less than two years before he died
He was attended by his daughter, Mrs.
klpnlnSNn orror hi hot
the folds of his long black cloak. Gen.
Jacksons picture was taken at his home.
the Hermitage, in l845.
** &*
Lest We forget" In these opulent
days of Congress voting billions upon
billions, some national legislators are
not unmindful of those starkly impov-
erished days ITO years ago, in December,
l776, when hopes were we'll night ex-
tinguished, Washington's dwindling
army fleeing for life across New Jersey,
the war-chest emptied, public credit ex-
cessively weak, and Congress in desper-
alton authorizing new issue of IS .000,-
900 in bills of credit which could not
be printed in time to stave off disaster.
Washington turned beseechingly to
Robert Morris asking large sum in
specie to pay promised bounties-and
Morris already had Impoverished him.
self for the cause The financier went
to wealthy Quaker and pleaded with
him for a loan. Robert" said the
Quaker, what security canst thou
give?" Morris replied MY note and
my honor" Thou shalt have it" was the
answer. Twelve hours later Morris dis
patched this message to Washington: ::
Il was up early this morning to dis
patch supply of $4,000 to your ex-
cellency," at the same time assuring
him to call for more if he wanted it.
A few days later, Robert Morris, the
princely merchant and unselfish patriot,
literally was without place to lay his
head even in the debtors prison, Prune
Street Jail in Philadelphia. Three years
after he left prison he died in poverty.
There has been considerable discus
sion as to where Thomas Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of independence. Jacob
Hiltzheimer, who during the Revo-
luton was attached to the Quartermas
ter Department and rendered valuable
services to the Army in the field, wrote
in his diary that on July 28, 1777, he
paid Jacob Graft, jr, Its pounds for
the house and lot at the southwest cor
ner of Seventh and Market streets His
great-grandson, Jacob Cox Parsons, in
editing those diaries explained: This
was the house in which jefferson wrote
the Declaration of independence, and
the site is now covered by the Penn
National Bank
distressing to witness the representa-