\ .• -.v v7:%^' V y<» V . %.** •- ■^i>^ ^ ^ /y^^^'. " «j^. .^^' /;?.^:v '^ ^^s ^%^ v^. r-^v '0^ :<^'; .-i q. l\ '' -.^' A bV* . - -"--O^ : ^^^■ , -A' '^^i^ ■t"\ > ■.^jC^ bv^ >■ o vP >j^p^* .^ s^"- -^c / >7 ^ v>. .Vv^ ^^ ^. A.^- .^ i'' ..^" * ./% " -s^-*- .• ^ OF THIS BOOK TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE COPIES HAVE BEEN PRINTED ON VAN GELDER HAND-MADE PAPER THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS 1 HRb WASH JTt PUR . , ^ . ^ TORN rn'.T. CHARLES PEALE GILBh 1 > ^r ■> CHARLES :>f ' I \' ! ; I ViViUll! .A 83JflAH3 /()TOV!lH2A // JAH3M3y 3JA31 H08JJIW 2a.IMAH3 Yfl OaTV-IA") 33MW0 JAVllOiaO /.uaua QUA AiHiJaoAJiHs lu T H K L IL WAS JOHN TRl CHARLES GILBF CHARl LE 3XW0 Tuagaas 1UM .A 83JflAH0 'Rr ajASH H08JJIW aajJIAHD YH «3TV.IA1 aanwo jAViiniJio VI08JIW Hrthy of the ct e ol tl Miowledge, com, and r< \'nerica. He mly r< Neufville." He ,, -T^ a!Tival here Mr. Dc Neuf house, where I an and elegantly enter The portrait of V\ nection with this c sented to Mr. De ^ many favors receive, veyed to him prior r sterdam. In a lettc; ?o Trumbull, he writes • ^'f ! ;^.*ioo, which has ; necessity of being ' sons in England, most limited res' bv the exercise oi ; Ic that this sum " Lf.e portrait of ide of the portr , and conjt "-' how the I came 5 MOTOmHZAW JAH3V130 30 TIAflTHOq o8rl— JJUHMUJIT KHOX Yfl aaTHIAT aanwo jAnmiflo U .A SUilAHJ MAaM3T2V.A 10 II PORTRAIT OF GENERAL WASHINGTON PAINTED BY JOHN TRUMBULL^iySo ORIGINAL OWNER M. DE NEUFVILLE OF AMSTERDAM PRESENT OWNER CHARLES A. MUNN JOHN TRUMBULL Connecticut. He at once repaired to the bank- ing house of De Neufville & Son, the members of which, he says, "are unquestionably the most worthy of the confidence of the State, from their knowledge, connections and real attachment for America. He was warmly received by Mr. De Neufville." He writes, " Immediately on my arrival here Mr. De Neufville invited me to his house, where I am at present very hospitably and elegantly entertained." The portrait of Washington, illustrated in con- nection with this chapter, may have been pre- sented to Mr. De Neufville in consideration of many favors received, but it must have been con- veyed to him prior to Trumbull's arrival in Am- sterdam. In a letter to his father. Governor Trumbull, he writes : " I have received from him ^loo, which has brought me off without the necessity of being under obligations to any per- sons in England." As Trumbull had only the most limited resources, save what he could raise by the exercise of his profession, it seems possi- ble that this sum may have been in payment for the portrait of Washington. No mention is made of the portrait in his correspondence or papers, and conjecture alone can solve the prob- lem of how the portrait came into the possession 5 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS of the banker. As a matter of historic interest there will be found on another page a reproduc- tion of the famous engraving, by Valentine Green, and the title under the engraving is given here in full : GENERAL WASHINGTON Painted by J. Trumbull, Esq., of Connecticut, 1780. En- graved by V. Green, Mezzotinto Engraver to His Majesty and to the Elector Palatin. Engraved from the original picture in the possession of M. De Neufville, of Amsterdam. Publish' d by Appointm' of M. De Neufville, Jan^y isth, 1781, by V. Green, N. 29, Newman Street, Oxford Street, London. From the above it would appear that the por- trait must have been sold to the banker De Neuf- ville before Trumbull left London. Trumbull was released from prison in June, 1880. He remained in London a few days only, and then set out for the Continent. In his autobiography he mentions having met Mr. De Neufville, the son and junior partner of the house, in London, It is probable that the portrait was sold to him at that time, and it is further probable that the portrait was not sent to Amsterdam until after Trumbull had left London, He remained in Amsterdam until August, 1781, when he sailed for America, The portrait, however, must have remained in the hands of Valentine Green until approximately the date of its publication, which was January 15, 1781. Its size is 28x36 inches. 6 GEORGE WASHINGTON ENORAVED BY VALENTINE GREEN 1781 — AFTER THE PORTRAIT BY TRUMBULL THE EARLIEST GENUINE PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED IN EUROPE TNGTO^ RAITS .er of historic interest 1 reproduc- tine Green, ving is given here 1780. En- ■""^-sty and ture in Publish' d '781, by V. 'jrd Street, Loodoa. e it would appear that the por- een sold to tbr r De Neuf- illleft L< Trumbull 'on in Jv*nt, i88o. He ... j .. ""^--, and then ... ... .V vobiography . It. De Ncufville, the oi the house, in London. he portrait was s him is further pr ^hat the sent to Amsterdam until after eft London. He remained in I , when he sailed 1 iic pui u ui " ver, must have he hands of v ^, .xae Green until the date of it^ i '.Slication, which C.I 78 1. 28x36 inches. l>IOTOVTIH8AW lOflOaO jjaawuJiT va TiAaxflo^ 3ht aar^A — 18^1 — naajto aniTviaJAV va aavAJinna aioaua m nsHauau^ viotdxih8aw lo TiAJiTnoq amuviao reaujiAa 3ht /:,.,. J.- 0\'/'/(/t' U (T,)/////i//t''// . JOHN The popularity of t It was the first authent that had been publishcvl of it were soon issued in One of the most attract' was published in Brus- sais Historiqueset Polit icains " par M. Hillin larged edition (folic was published in the having been enlarged the book, by the addition A curious ^ published hi j^ ..^d u* Unis/'Par J T^ V :n ,.n' enerr.ved by ii is the is standing on a | tic tropical trees and witl war ships oc The pers Washington i tnc and prints c ^ • porary bed accompany- provide i forefathers with TtASnaOl JJUHMUHT 3HT flSTIA .HAoeanAJ jAOiioaT 8-joititji'» htjw WASHINGTON AFTER THE TRUMBULL PORTRAIT WITH FICTITIOUS TROPICAL LANDSCAPE JOHN TRUMBULL The popularity of the portrait was very great. It was the first authentic portrait of Washington that had been published in Europe, and copies of it were soon issued in France and elsewhere. One of the most attractive of these reproductions was published in Brussels, in 178 i, in the " Es- sais Historiqueset Politiquessur les Anglo-Amer- icains " par M. Hilliard d'Auberteuil. An en- larged edition (folio) of this same attractive work was published in the following year, the print having been enlarged to fit the increased size of the book, by the addition of an attractive border. A curious corruption of this same portrait was published in " Beautes de I'Histoire des Etats- Unis," Par J. B. Nougaut, Paris, 18 17. It was engraved by Maria Misa. The figure of Wash- ington is the same, but the Commander-in-Chief is standing on a promontory surrounded by gigan- tic tropical trees and with a fleet of diminutive war ships occupying the bay in the background. The persistency with which this figure of Washington appears in the various engravings and prints of the period is shown in a contem- porary bed curtain which is reproduced in an accompanying engraving. It was the custom to provide the old mahogany four-posters of our forefathers with suitable bed hangings, and in the 7 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS curtain shown the figure of Washington is an exact reproduction of the Trumbull portrait. This composition is an exceedingly interesting one. An attractive female figure, bearing a palm in one hand and treading disdainfully upon the shield of Great Britain, seems to be approaching the General with the view of whispering some word of encouragement or flattery in his ear. In her right hand she carries a medallion embel- lished with the portraits of Adams and Laurens. An angel who is floating in the air above is in the act of crowning the Commander-in-Chief with a laurel wreath, and at the same time she is blow- ing lustily on a trumpet and proclaiming to the world those immortal words, " Washington and Independence." On an altar is seated the God- dess of Liberty, who is contemplating a portrait of Baron Steuben. Two female figures are doing homage, one of them being in the act of burn- ing incense on the altar. The various heads on the medallions are faith- ful reproductions of the Du Simitiere series of portraits of well-known Revolutionary leaders. The originals of these prints are greatly prized by collectors. There is another bed curtain print of the same early period, which is somewhat similar to the 8 < ^ w < g > <-> ic c of Baron 1 is an \ ait. ing aim the ing rnrie embel- iu Laurens. •6 in the ef with ^ blow- r to the 1 con and ited the God- ting a portrait ures are doing ■i act of burn- s are faith- tiv.re series of ^ ...... lonary leaders. ■ ts are e-eatlv prized .e same liar to the JOHN TRUMBULL one illustrated. The figure of Washington is the same as that in the Trumbull portrait, with the exception that he is represented as wearing a military hat and is standing in a chariot drawn by tigers which are being urged forward by two Indian boys who are blowing on trumpets. Stand- ing near the chariot is a full-length figure of the immortal Dr. Franklin in his inevitable fur cap. Minerva, armed with a shield adorned with thir- teen stars, points out to the aged philosopher a temple of fame located in the background. This portrait of Washington, owing to the many engravings which had been made of it, was perfectly well known to collectors and lovers of Washingtoniana; nevertheless for more than a hundred years the whereabouts of the portrait was entirely unknown, and all hope of ever discover- ing this interesting original had been abandoned when it was found in this city in the possession of a well-known art dealer, who had just brought it over from London, and it was quickly acquired by the present owner. Whereas Gilbert Stuart will ever be known prominently as the portrait painter of the newly formed government, Trumbull will be known to posterity as the patriot painter of the Revo- lution. By tradition and early training and by 9 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS the later course of his art studies, this proved to be the most natural development of his nature. Reared in an atmosphere of politics, an eye wit- ness of the stirring events preceding the Revo- lution and with a father who was, of all the war governors, perhaps the most aggressive and who was known throughout the Colonies under the affectionate nickname which Washington him- self applied to him, "Brother Jonathan," is it any wonder, when his son's facility in art work had matured, that he should have desired to per- petuate the stirring events of the War of Inde- pendence? In his autobiography, Trumbull de- votes comparatively little space to his work in portraiture, but his main pride seems to rest upon his historical compositions. In fact, he painted comparatively few portraits but devoted his time principally to the great events of the war, which seemed particularly to fire his imagination. No one who has not visited the Art School at Yale University can form any conception of Trum- bull's work. There may be seen the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Princeton, the Death of Montgomery, the Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, the surrender of Burgoyne and, last but not least, the Declaration of Independence. All of these are comparatively small pictures and 10 JOHN TRUMBULL should not be confounded with the large car- toons in the National Capitol, which were painted many years later. When the Capitol at Wash- ington was being completed and the great dome was in course of erection, the idea was projected of decorating the wall of the rotunda with great historical paintings. Trumbull applied himself to the task of getting an appropriation from Congress for the carrying forward of this work. This resulted in his corresponding with a num- ber of prominent people with reference to this project. The outcome of this correspondence was varied, and in many cases very discouraging to the artist. The following letter from Presi- dent John Adams throws a curious side light on the primitive conditions of the times and upon the curious Puritanical point of view as regards the art development of the nation: " Quincy, January i, 1817. " My dear Sir: Your kind letter of the 26th of Dec' has given me more pleasure than it would be prudent or decent for me to express. " Your design has my cordial approbation and best wishes. But you will please to remember that the Burin and the Pencil, the Chisel and the Trowel! have in all ages and Countries of which we have information been enlisted on the side of Despotism and Supersti- II THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS tion. I should have said Superstition and Despotism, for Superstition is the first and Universal Cause of Despotism. " Characters and Counsels and Actions merely social, merely civil, merely political, merely moral, are always neglected and forgotten. Architecture, Sculpture, Painting and Poetry have conspired against the Rights of Mankind and the Protestant Religion is now un- popular and odious because it is not friendly to the Fine Arts. " 1 am not however a Disciple of Rousseau. Your Country ought to acknowledge itself more indebted to you than to any other artist who ever existed and I therefore heartily wish you success. " But I must beg pardon of my Country, when I say that I see no disposition to celebrate or remember or even curiosity to enquire into the Characters, Actions or Events of the Revolution. " I am therefore more inclined to despair, than to hope for your success in Congress though I wish it with all my heart. " I should be glad to be informed of your progress, being with sincere esteem and real affection Your friend John Adams." "Col. Trumbull." Adams did not do justice, however, to the sense ol patriotism of the representatives of the people, for not many months elapsed before Congress appropriated thirty-two thousand dollars for the 12 JOHN TRUMBULL carrying out of the work, and Trumbull was commissioned to paint four of the large canvases which now embellish the lower walls of the great rotunda. Undoubtedly the best known, and deservedly so, of all these important pictures is the ** Sign- ing of the Declaration of Independence." Trum- bull passed many years of his life in preparing the studies from life of the chief actors in this drama. For a very long time the picture remained un- finished, owing to the difficulty which he had in procuring portraits of some of the Signers. The original picture in the Yale Gallery is full of beauty and character. The large cartoon which hangs under the great dome of the National Capitol and which is the painting from which Trumbull's reputation is principally judged, is inferior to the earlier pictures in every particu- lar. It was painted many years after the earlier composition was completed and not until long after Trumbull's skill as an artist had begun to wane. From an historical point of view the loss of this group, had it never been reproduced, would have been the most serious loss that could have come to the Nation artistically, for in this com- position are preserved to posterity the portraits of the most distinguished statesmen of the revo- 13 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS lutionary period, and the likenesses of very many of these men would have been irretrievably lost had it not been for Trumbull. Fortunately there is no danger now of such a calamity, as there are, besides the two paintings by Trumbull himself, the one at New Haven and the other at the Capitol, the admirable steel engraving by A. B. Durand. Owing to the reproductions which have been made, this notable picture is now fa- miliar to every school boy in America. There is reproduced on another page a very curious corruption of this picture. It appears on an old lacquered tea-tray which was found in an an- tiquity shop in Shrewsbury, England, several years ago by a friend of the writer, and promptly purchased and sent to America. By comparing this composition with the well-known print, it will be observed that there are some distinct dif- ferences. It will be noticed that there are six figures instead of five standing before the desk of President John Hancock and also that the group- ing is far different. Now what explanation can be offered for this variation from the original? It is hardly likely that the artisan who made the lacquered tea-tray did anything more than slav- ishly copy some design which was placed before him, nor is it reasonable to suppose that some a u < >^ OS < i^ ES OF WASHl S ,y pen very many * men would have l* etrievably lost iot been for Trun * i ortunately there T now of such a c:iidmity,as there are, niC tw'" «.: .«^:.ww •■.. "r.,,^i)uii himself, : at Is other at the . the a ^^ -ving by A. B. Owint ic reproductions which de, this notable picture is now fa- oy in America. There H ;e a very curious > 11 ^ ears on an old w in an an- S ' several c I , /omptly ^ comparing ^ on with the well-known print, it nre some distinct dif- that there are six i of live standing before the desk of ock and also that the group- ^^ w what explanation can DC "1 from the original? It ■ .. ..rtisan who made the iac-4uc.-_ -- lything more than slav- ishly copy SOL ^'hich was placed before him, nor is it reaso; > suppose that some 14 JOHN TRUMBULL Other artist was employed to alter in such minor respects the design of Trumbull. Such a prac- tice was not followed in the case of other simi- lar reproductions from celebrated paintings, as for example the views and scenes which have been reproduced so attractively on the Stafford- shire blue china. Is it not more likely that the design was some original study which had been rejected by Trumbull but which, through some accident, fell into the hands of the tray-maker? In the Library of Princeton University there are six preliminary studies of the Battle of Prince- ton, all of which vary materially in composition, but which in spirit are close cousins. It is doubt- less true that Trumbull, who was a painstaking and laborious artist, followed a similar course with reference to the Declaration of Independ- ence, and that one of these preliminary studies has been preserved in a manner which could hardly have been anticipated by the artist himself. For the portraits which Trumbull introduced in these compositions he made small oil sketches from life of the distinguished actors in the dramas represented; these portraits were made in Lon- don, Paris, and in various parts of this country from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Some of his most charming productions are his por- 15 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS traits and studies in miniature. They are not true miniatures, as they are painted in oils on wood, but ^ they are full of character and indi- viduality. Peale painted many miniatures, but they were painted in water colors on ivory. These historical pieces never passed into pri- vate hands. Trumbull sought to gain his liveli- hood by having his principal pictures engraved, and these prints were offered for sale in this country and abroad. Trumbull's portraits are, therefore, of comparative rarity. There are only a few authenticated portraits of Washington by him, although probably there is no artist (not even excepting Peale) who had equal opportuni- ties with Trumbull of limning the Father of his Country. Besides the portrait described above, perhaps the most widely known portrait is the one rep- resenting Washington at the Battle of Trenton, which is now owned by Yale University. This was painted in 1792. It is a large canvas and represents the Commander-in-Chief full length and life size, with a field glass in his right hand. At the rear is a horse held by an orderly and on the ground a dismantled cannon. This portrait was engraved by Thomas Cheesman and pub- lished in London August i, 1796. This engrav- 16 JOHN TRUMBULL ing is in stipple. The same picture was en- graved in mezzotint by W. Warner and pub- lished in Philadelphia in 1845. This portrait was originally painted for the City of Charles- ton, but the style of treatment was considered too martial and heroic and the portrait was re- jected. Trumbull later painted another portrait for Charleston, but, judging from the print en- graved in mezzotint and recently published by Rosenthal, the City was not the gainer by refus- ing the earlier portrait. An admirable, full-size copy, in oils, of the New Haven portrait has recently been hung in the Union Club, New York, having been presented to the Club by members who are Sons of the Revolution. The next most important portrait is an impos- ing, full-length hanging in the Council Cham- ber of the City Hall in New York. It repre- sents the Commander-in-Chief in full uniform, standing in front of the fort which was formerly located at the Battery, at the southern end of New York City. The Bay and Narrows may be seen in the background and the harbor is full of shipping. This important portrait has never been properly engraved. At the suggestion of the writer some years ago Mr. Arlent Edwards, the clever mezzotint engraver, whose color prints '7 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS are so widely known, was induced to make a re- production in mezzotint of the portrait, but he labored under great difficulties, as the room was dark and the picture could not be taken down, and so the result was not altogether satisfactory. The only other important portrait of Wash- ington by Trumbull is a full-length representa- tion of the Commander-in-Chief in uniform, standing by the side of his grey charger. This closely resembles the portrait at the City Hall and evidently was a study for the larger picture. It was painted in 1790 and measures 20 x 30 inches and is therefore considerably smaller than the "de Neufville" portrait first described in this chapter. This picture belonged to General Edmund Law Rogers, of Baltimore and now belongs to the Rogers Estate. Some idea of the intimate relations that ex- isted between Washington and Trumbull may be gathered from the accompanying letter. Copy of a letter from General Washington to the Marquis De La Fayette "Philadelphia, Nov. 21st, 1791. My dear Sir: Mr. John Trumbull with whom you are ac- quainted is engaged in painting a series of pic- 18 JOHN TRUMBULL tures of the most important events of the Revo- lution in this country from which he proposes to have plates engraved. I have taken this peculiar satisfaction in giv- ing every proper aid in my power to a subscrip- tion supporting this work, which has been like- wise patronised by the principal people in this country. In the hope of meeting the patronage of the French nation, to whose honor as well as that of America, this plan is directed, Mr. Trumbull informs me that he has ordered a subscription to be opened in Paris, and the object of this letter is to engage you to support the subscription in that City, and other parts of the Nation where it may be offered. I should not however do justice to Mr. Trum- bull's talents and merits were I to question his views and wishes on this occasion. His pieces so far as they are executed meet the warm ap- plause of all who have seen them — the greatness of the design and the masterly execution of the work equally interest the man of a capacious mind, as the approving eye of the connoisseur. He has spared no pains in obtaining from the life the likeness of those characters, French as well as American, who bore a conspicuous part in our 19 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS Revolution — and the success with which his ef- forts have been crowned will form no small part of the value of his pieces. To you, my dear Sir, who know Mr. Trum- bull as a man and as an artist, it would perhaps have been hardly necessary to say so much as I have done, on this occasion. But I could not in justice say less of him when I believe in his profession he will do much honor to the liberal art of painting as well as to this, his native country. I cannot conclude this letter without con- gratulating you most sincerely on the King's acceptance of the Constitution presented to him by the National Assembly, and upon the happy consequences which promise to flow to your Country, as well as to mankind in general from that event. The prayers and wishes of the friends of the human race have attended the ex- ertions of your Nation; and when your affairs shall be completely settled under an energetic and equal government the hearts of good men will be gratified, and no one will rejoice in your felicity, and for the noble and disinterested part you have acted, more than your sincere friend and truly affectionate servant (Signed) Geo. Washington." 20 JOHN TRUMBULL The letter copied above, in Washington's handwriting, is in the possession of the writer and with it is a copy of the letter in the hand- writing of Trumbull. Accompanying this copy is the following note in the handwriting of Trum- bull, which is interesting as explaining why the letter of introduction was never delivered to La Fayette. ** This sheet covers, for the purpose of its preservation if possible, a letter written by Genl. Washington to the Marquis de La Fayette in 1 79 1 recommending to his protection in France the subscription of Mr. Trumbull's series of en- gravings intended to commemorate the great events of the American Revolution. This letter was written at the request of Mr. T. and sent by him to his correspondent in London (Mr. A. C. de Poggi) to be used in France. Un- happily, before the letter came to the hands of Mr. Poggi the French Revolution had begun to assume that character of bloody and inhuman ferocity which rendered it a curse and not a blessing to the human race, and when Mr. Trumbull accompanied Mr. Jay to London in 1797 it was returned to his hands." 21 THE CHARLES WILLSON PEALE TYPE IN the autumn of 1 905, while visiting a friend who is a Professor in Princeton University, the writer learned of a portrait of Wash- ington, painted by Charles Willson Peale, which was offered for sale in Dublin, Ireland. Hav- ing obtained the address of the owner, a corre- spondence ensued, which extended over many months. After the credentials had been exam- ined and satisfactory arrangements had been made, Mr. Roger E. Fry, Curator of Paintings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, who was about to sail for Europe, kindly consented to visit Dublin and examine the por- trait. His report proved to be satisfactory, and the sale was finally confirmed by cable. The picture, carefully packed in a metal sarcopha- gus, arrived here safely in August, 1 906, some ten months after the opening of negotiations. 22 CHARLES WILLSON PEALE The portrait is an important one, the canvas measuring five feet two inches by seven feet. A reproduction of the work is published op- posite the title page. The Commander-in-Chief is represented as standing beside a field-piece, upon which he is resting his left hand. In his right hand he holds a hat and across his breast is the conventional blue sash which is often shown in the portraits of Washington painted by Peale. The British standards are lying in disorder on the ground, and overhead floats proudly the ban- ner of the Colonies. In the background, at the left, is the college campus at Princeton, and some British prisoners in red coats are being marched across the field under guard. Grand old Nassau Hall, the largest building at that time in the Col- onies, stands out distinctly in the background. The expression of the Commander-in-Chief is particularly pleasing and the painting has been much admired by those who have examined it. The picture is carefully painted and the can- vas is entirely untouched and clean and spotless, as when it left the easel. In all probability, the picture was painted between the years 1780 and 1783. The portrait of Washington hanging in the Faculty room of old Nassau, in Princeton, was painted in the latter year. 23 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS As may be seen by examining the reproduc- tion of the latter portrait on another page, the banner displayed over the head of the General is the stars and stripes. At first sight it seems as if the flag were composed of stripes alone, but a careful examination discloses one star and the intimation of a blue field. The banner of the Dublin portrait, however, is a plain blue field with a circle of thirteen stars — an earlier de- vice. It would appear, therefore, that this por- trait must have been painted earlier than the Princeton portrait. Much interest centers in the question of the flag used during the early part of the war. Pre- ble, in his ** History of the Flag of the United States," says : ** The portrait of Washington at the battle of Trenton, December 26-27, 1776, painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1779, rep- resents the Union Jack with thirteen stars ar- ranged in a circle, but it affords only presump- tive proof that such a flag was carried." Mr. Peale's son, Titian R. Peale, writing to a friend in 1870, says : "I have just had time to visit the Smithsonian Institution to see the portrait of Washington painted by my father after the bat- tle of Trenton. It is marked in his handwrit- ing, 1779. The flag represented a blue field <>rs»«f&«>« r v«tMB>* WASHINGTON AT THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON PAINTED BY CHARLES W. PEALE 1783 ORIGINAL OWNER PRESENT OWNER PRINCETON COLLEGE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ASHINGTON PORTRAITS examining the reproduc- irait on another page, the the head of the General ^t sight it seems tripes alone, but >ne star and the • c banner of the -ver, is a plain blue field — an earlier de- e, that this por- t painted earlier than the 1 ostion of the r -le war. Pre- h .o,v:v . » ,^g of the United S: . 'The portrait of Washington at the battle of Trenton, December 26-27, 1776, painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1779, rep- resents the Union Jack with thirteen stars ar- ranged in a circle, but it affords only presump- tive proof ch a flag was carried." Mr. r " ' R. Peale, writing to a friend in 1070, sayi : ' i have just had time to visit the c;^.:.;,. .,.:.. K, Institution to see the portrait of \ ,^.„n painted by my father after the bat- tle of Trenton. It is marked in his handwrit- ing, 1779. The flag represented a blue field Y.OTSDVllin iO 3JTTAa 3HT TA MOTDVlimAV l^^i — 3JA31 .yr-a?jaAHj va asTniAi flSKWo T'/iazafli aanwo jav.ioijio VTiea.T/inj noraonifls aoajjoo viot30V!is)"> CHARLES WILLSON PEALE with white stars arranged in a circle. I don't know that I ever heard my father speak of that flag, but the trophies at Washington's feet I know he painted from the flags then captured, and which were left with him for that purpose. The blue ribbon has also excited comment — the badge of a Field Marshal of France in that day.* I have no other authority, but feel as- sured that flag was the flag of our own army at *The statement that the blue sash worn by Washington in this portrait and in other portraits of the Commander-in-Chief was the insignia of a Marshal of France was founded upon a very popular fallacy. When the army was encamped before Boston, ownng to the absence in many cases of uniforms there was much confusion and difficulty in recognizing the person and rank of officers who might endeavor to pass the lines. In a MS. copy of General Washington's orders belonging to the writer is found the following entry : "General orders. Head Quarters, July 14th, 1775 Parole, Halifax. Countersign, Inverness There being something awkw'ard as well as improper in the general officers being stopped at the outposts; ask'd for passes by the centinals & obliged often to send for the officer of the guard who at sometimes is as unacquainted with the persons of the Generals as the privates before they can pass out or in, therefore it is Recommended to the officers and men to make themselves acquainted with all the officers in general command and in the meantime to prevent mistakes the general officers and their aid de camps to be distinguished in the following manner, the Commander-in-Chief a light blue ribbon wore acrost his breast between his coat and waistcoat, the majors and brigadier generals by a pink ribbon wore in like manner, the aid de camps by a green ribbon." 25 THREE TVPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS the time, 1779. My father commanded a Com- pany at the battles of Germantown, Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth, and I am sure repre- sented the flag then in use, not a regimental flag, but one to mark the new Republic." Preble further says: "I have been unable to find that it was ever required that the stars should be arranged in a circle, though in Trum- bull's painting of the Surrender of Burgoyne and in Peale's portrait of Washington, the stars are arranged in that manner by those artists. The resolution of Congress of 1777 gives no direc- tion as to the arrangement of the stars, but says they represent not Lyra, nor any heavenly clus- ter of stars, but a new constellation." An unfinished sketch, of the battle of Prince- ton, by Trumbull, January 3, 1777, in the Art School at New Haven, represents the American flag with thirteen stars on a blue field. Peale, as intimated above, had served under Washington and was therefore perfectly familiar with the customs of war and the camp. He had made a careful study of military detail and pos- sessed a solemn reverence for the events of the Revolution. Although no record can be found of the blue flag with thirteen stars having been authorized 26 CHARLES WILLSON PEALE by Congress, it is hardly likely that this careful painter of the Revolution, should have represented a flag which was not in actual use by the army. Such a supposition is quite contrary to reason. The banners lying inverted at the left of Wash- ington have been identified as colors captured from the Hessians at the battle of Trenton. In a book entitled " Regimental Colors in the War of the Revolution," by Gherardi Davis, there is quoted a letter written on December 31,1 ^^^^ by William Ellery, in which he describes with great accuracy the Hessian colors captured at Trenton. This letter absolutely confirms the statement made by Titian R. Peale that these standards were copied from the originals, and it is a wonderful tribute to the care and accuracy of Peale's work that the detail shown in these flags corresponds exactly with Mr. Ellery's description. It is interesting in this connection to compare this portrait with the engraving which is con- sidered by collectors in many respects the most prized of all the portraits of the General. It is the first engraved portrait of Washington pub- lished in this country. This portrait was en- graved in mezzotinto by Charles Willson Peale after a portrait by himself, painted for Governor Hancock. In a paper read by William S. Baker, 27 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS the pioneer student of Washington portraiture, before the Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1889, allusion is made to the existence of this print. He says that the first engraved portrait was executed in 1778. "From this plate, how- ever, no impressions are known, the information as to its production being obtained from his man- uscript note book as follows: *Oct. 16, 1778. Began a drawing in order to make a mezzotinto of Genl. Washington. Got a plate of Mr. Brooks, and in pay I am to give him 20 of the prints in the first 100 struck off. Nov. 15th. Began to print off the small plate of Genl. Washington. 1 6th, Continued the same business all day and sold 1 1 doz. at Five Doll's.' " What would not this veteran collector and student have given to have seen and owned one of these rarities ! It was fifteen years after this before one of these prints was discovered and given out to the world in the admirable Catalogue of Washington Por- traits, issued by the Grolier Club in 1904. The only title on the print is that shown in the repro- duction : " His Excellency, George Washington, Esq^" Mr. Charles Henry Hart, the able Ed- itor of this work, says in his preface : " Perhaps the most important find recorded in these pages is the first number of the book, Charles Willson 28 EARLIEST AUTHENTIC ENGRAVED PORTRAIT OF GENERAL WASHINGTON DRAWN AND ENGRAVED BY C. W. PEALE, I778 TUR} N.vSHlNGTON PORTRAITS ii of Washington portraiture, inia Historical Society in ' *he existence of this c.i>o uiiii <..v i.,j>t engraved portrait . .,..>ed in T'--^ " From this plate, how- r, no imrr^ wn, the information as to its tained from his man- user follows: *Oct. 1 6, 1778. Be,8:an a draw r to make a mezzotinto plate of Mr. Brooks, aim 20 of the prints in tne Nov. 15th. Began to priiiL '" ! j.irtie of Genl. Washington. 1 6th, ( the same business all day and sold 1 1 'c Doll's.' " What would not this ve; r and student have given to have seen and owned one of these rarities ! It was fif after this before one of these prints was dis^ i given out to the world in the: -le La. of Washington Por- traits, issued Dy the Groiier Club in 1 904. The only tit' "^ -^rint is that shown in the repro- duct' ' vcellency, George Washington, Esq _ _ ides Henry Hart, the able Ed- itor of this work, says in his preface: "Perhaps the most important find recorded in these pages is the first number of the book, Charles Willson VrOTOVTIHZAW JAR5Vi3D lO TIAilT^lOS^aaVAflOTfa DITK3HTUA T83IJ;iAH CHARLES WILLSON PEALE Peale's earliest mezzotint portrait of Washing- ton, published in 1778 and which, until my dis- covery, was thought not to exist, being known only by its advertisement." The advertisement alluded to appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet or General Advertiser, for Saturday, November 21, 1778, and mentions the print as on sale by John Dunlap, at the price of five dollars, and reads: "A few mezzotint prints of His Excel- lency, General Washington." As an engraving it is a crude piece of work. As a work of art it is singularly deficient. The pose is awkward and theatrical, and the drawing leaves everything to be desired ; but in spite of these crudities this youthful face bears a striking resemblance to the Washington in the Dublin portrait. To the heart of the collector this print, with all its amateurish peculiarities, will always have a spec- ial charm and attraction as being the first medium by which an admiring public learned to know anything concerning the physical appearance of the Commander-in-Chief. It seems singular and is a conclusive evidence of the primitive condition of art in those days that three years elapsed after the breaking out of the war before a portrait should have been published of the man who was the most admired and esteemed of men 29 "■■ "^ ^iiiitf^ii f aii THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS by his fellow-countrymen, and whose fame had extended to the most remote parts of Europe. The youthful Washington of the period of the Revolution is a type, strange to say, which seems to be comparatively unknown to the ordinary layman, whose only idea of the Father of his Country is that portrayed in the Stuart portraits. It is interesting, therefore, in this connection, to compare the type disclosed in the Dublin por- trait with the head shown in the Trumbull por- trait previously described, which was painted about the same period. The resemblance be- tween the two is certainly very striking. Peale had singular opportunities for making studies and portraits of the Commander-in-Chief, and there is no doubt that he painted more portraits of the General from life than any other artist. Mr. W. S. Baker, in his pioneer work on the engraved portraits of Washington, states that Peale painted fourteen portraits of Washington from life. It has not been claimed that Trum- bull painted more than three from life, nor is it likely that Stuart painted more than that same number from life, although it would seem that he must have had an opportunity of touching up some of his copies while he had the Presi- dent in his studio for some of his sittings. 30 C^^K^^ CT! ARLES WILLSON VTATT. . rc i> u most interesting a; '*■" V . .iS of Trumbull and Pe-*^' \- fifteen years the seni^ sent to Boston t them applied to Cople Both served in the War ot the Rev both attained so? the rank of Captain served as Aide-de-C was appointed ^^^ reached the ran.. .^... London to studv " their countryman, Bei turned eir native land, after their abroad had been ■ ed, both ested in estal cities. Tru! became the i't^ emy of Fine Ar cmy of ^'^<=""^ >,.>..., an Ac ine A: de^ incr the port! ernment. ewiiat 1 himselt criu ;;.; yaajjAO riAsnaoi jakoitavi 3hi koht ];;^]t^^^-:'yi. CHARLES WILLSON PEALE FROM THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY CHARLES WILLSON PEALE There is a most interesting similarity in the careers of Trumbull and Peale. Although Peale was fifteen years the senior of Trumbull, they both went to Boston to study art, and both of them applied to Copley for assistance or advice. Both served in the War of the Revolution and both attained some prominence. Peale reached the rank of Captain of Volunteers and Trumbull served as Aide-de-Camp to Washington, and later was appointed Major of Brigade and finally reached the rank of Colonel. Both went to London to study painting under their fellow- countryman, Benjamin West. When they re- turned to their native land, after their studies abroad had been completed, both were inter- ested in establishing art schools in their adopted cities. Trumbull was a leading spirit in and became the President of the New York Acad- emy of Fine Arts, the predecessor of the Acad- emy of Design, while Peale attempted to form an Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Both devoted their artistic talents principally to paint- ing the portraits of men prominently connected with the Revolution and with the infant gov- ernment. Their line of work, however, was along somewhat different channels, for although Peale devoted himself entirely to portraiture, 31 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS Trumbull became the pictorial historian of the Revolution. Of the two men, Peale had the greater versatility, and his many accomplish- ments are the subject of considerable mirth at the hands of that ribald chronicler and critic, William Dunlap. In his "History of the Arts of Design" he says: "We shall sum up the trades, employments and professions of Mr. Peale somewhat as his biographer in the Cabinet of National History has done. He was a saddler, harness maker, clock and watch maker, silver- smith, painter in oils, crayons and miniature, modeler in clay, wax and plaster ; he sawed his own ivory for his miniatures, moulded the glasses and made shagreen cases; he was a soldier, a leg- islator, a preserver of animals, whose deficiencies he supplied by means of glass eyes and artificial limbs ; he was a dentist, and he was, as his bi- ographer truly says, a mild, benevolent and good man." Dunlap neglected to mention in his list the fact that Peale was an engraver in mezzo- tinto (an art little practiced in this country at that time) of no mean ability. Owing to their intrinsic interest and great rarity Peale's mezzo- tints sell for more to-day than Peale received dur- ing his lifetime for his original portraits. He died in 1 827, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. 32 CHARLES Wl LE Trumbull died in 184 year of his age. HISTORY OF THE PJ WASH IN The portrait was pui in 1906, from James I South Hill, Clifden,Co. The following is the h 5 given by the late S in the possession ol ti M trait, together w to hereinafter, x " '''p^inal own'" 5 ifge Wash I _ t . issued to ^ signed by Job v^ounty or ua TO WIT thr County of Armagh, est . r 1 (Tfl t\-^ Charles / 0., ^ i w be sec ^ Tesent owner )- w shown in a mam ^ uiid that the portrait ' he original propriety I cue saje to the present ownei Q^.:,.,. ^D Peale's unusual o^... "= in * con ! with Washington anc :is p. ence, he was afFordc t- tings of the Commander-in-Chief than 40 J r J I H 1 1 ^^1 -^ - 3 -i ■^ s JS 1,^' ; 3 -; 5 J 5 4 I = ? -^ n I -. r.-? t 2 '§; ^ 3_ ; I: -i 2 i ; i - -i 5 .-* S •w s 3 § f- 1 1 1 l^r I J ^ 1 i ri- =-t 1 -i ' f 2..1 3 IS -S -i 2 5 4" 5 '"■ '--.^ ^j,ii-^. _-■ -^ --S Is - -s £ ft" ill , 3- ; -a . - 3 ■ -^ - 3 - .-,•' t^b^ CHARLES WILLSON PEALE painter ever enjoyed. In addition to the ones described above, namely, the Princeton and the Dublin portraits, there may be mentioned the one now hanging in the Capitol at Washington, which originally belonged to the Count de Me- nou. The Metropolitan Museum in New York owns a very fine copy, presented by the late C. P. Huntington. There is an interesting one in Independence Hall, which was recently brought to this country from Spain. Mr. Thomas Mc- Kean, of Philadelphia, owns one, and there is one at Shirley, on the River James. There is one in the Palais at Versailles. The Earl of Albemarle owns a copy which was captured on the high seas by his ancestor, Captain Keppel. It now hangs in the great hall in Quiddenham Hall, Norfolk, England. An extremely interesting portrait of Wash- ington by Peale hangs in the State House at Annapolis. Like the others mentioned above, it is a full-length and in treatment and manner, as well as in the figure of the Commander-in- Chief, it strongly suggests the Princeton por- trait, although it differs from it widely in com- position. The special interest attaching to this portrait is that standing beside the central fig- ure are the Marquis de La Fayette and Colonel 41 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS Tench Tilghman. The head of the Marquis resembles a small head of this able young French officer which was engraved by Peale in oval form in mezzotint and which is greatly prized by collectors because of its intrinsic interest and its great rarity. At the Chicago Exposition there was a por- trait that appeared to have been painted by Peale. By some strange misconception it was attributed in the French catalogue to Trumbull. It be- longed to Mme. de Pusy, of Paris, and formed part of the French Loan Exhibition of Ameri- can Revolutionary relics. This attribution, how- ever, is no more amusing than that given by Sir Walter Armstrong, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland and author of a work on Gainsborough and many other well-known books, who, after examining the Dublin portrait, gave a certificate to the effect that in his opinion the portrait was undoubtedly an original work of Gilbert Stuart. It is gratifying to feel that this charming portrait by Peale, after a sojourn abroad of over one hundred and ten years, should once again have returned to the Father- land. 42 THE GILBERT > LIKE Trumbull -r? abroad at an ; under Benjamin he sailed for England ut i4 2^>Vi — TflA'jTi! raaajiij yu oaTviiAs asMWo TMai^aai fl.anwo jAviiniHO /ivt-jM .A eajaAH-j TT0D8 .SM .A'l ,a3T8ADVlA.I Kl PRESIDENT WASHINGTON PAINTED BY GILBERT STUART 1795 ORIGINAL OWNER MR. SCOTT or LANCASTER, PA. PRESENT OWNER CHARLES A. MUNN THE GILBERT STUART TYPE LIKE Trumbull and Peale, Stuart went abroad at an early age to study art under Benjamin West. Born in 1755, he sailed for England at the outbreak of the war in 1775 and thus, unlike these other artists, he saw no service during the Revolution. It seems strange that he should have tarried in London four years before presenting himself to West, but such seems to have been the case. He remained abroad seventeen years, during which time he painted many of the most dis- tinguished people of the times, not the least of which were his master and Sir Joshua Reynolds. His portraits of these two brought him into great prominence and many of his portraits of important people were engraved by Valentine Green, J. R. Smith, W. Ward, Charles Turner and other of the leading engravers of the day. 43 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS His ambition to paint the portrait of Washington is said to have been the principal cause of his return to his native land, in 1792. It was not until 1794, however, that he proceeded to Phila- delphia, armed with a letter of introduction to the President from John Jay, and the year 1795 was well advanced before the first sitting was arranged for. Stuart appears never to have en- joyed the same terms of intimacy with Wash- ington that fell to the lot of either Trumbull or Peale. It has been said that he never was quite at ease with him who, without in the least mean- ing to do so, frequently overawed those with whom he came in contact. However this may be, Stuart did paint three portraits from life within the short period of a year. The Athen- asum head he never finished and the tradition that it was left in this condition in order that he might retain it in his studio as a "nest egg" from which he could make copies is certainly pretty well substantiated. This charming por- trait, together with the companion portrait of Mrs. Washington, was sold by his family after his death for $1500 and given to the Boston Athensum, and the fact that practically all the copies made by Stuart are from this picture shows how industriously he must have taken 44 GILBERT STUART advantage of the opportunity presented by having this portrait ever before him. Stuart died in 1828 and was buried in Boston Common. He was not only a very rapid but a prolific worker. At the exhibition of his portraits held in Boston in 1880 there was pub- lished a list of his portraits, and although this was not complete, it contained over seven hun- dred and fifty numbers. The whereabouts of the various well-authen- ticated portraits of Washington by Stuart are for the most part pretty well known, but occasion- ally some portrait which is known to exist is lost sight of until, by some chance, it is rescued from obscurity. The most popular type of Washington portrait has ever been, not the Washington of the Revolution in a military uniform, but Washington, the President. Not the man of middle age with a comparatively young face, undisturbed by cares and anxieties, but the bewigged and powdered gentleman in a velvet coat and breeches and with a 5ress sword at his side. No man ever changed more in ap- pearance than did Washington between the pe- riod of the Revolution and the time of his sec- ond administration as President, when he was sought after as a subject by the artists of America 45 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS and by some who came across the seas to paint his portrait. The distinction of painting the great leader was considered one which added fame rather to the artist than to the subject. In the interesting catalogue of" Engraved Por- traits of Washington," published by the Grolier Club and edited by Mr. Charles Henry Hart, there are described sixty-six engravings of Wash- ington after Charles Willson Peale portraits, fifty- two after Trumbull, but there are enumerated four hundred and forty-one engravings after Stu- art ; in brief, there are nearly four times as many Stuart prints of Washington as there are of Peale and Trumbull combined. The Stuart portraits have been cleverly classi- fied for the convenience of collectors, into three main groups, known after the three principal originals which are recognized as having been painted from life. These are known as the Vaughan type, the Lansdowne type and the Ath- enaeum type. Of these, by far the most popu- lar, if we are to judge from the number of times the portrait has been engraved, is the last-men- tioned portrait. From our childhood days we have all been brought up on that delightful, benign head with the unfinished background, called the Athenasum portrait. The Lans- 46 GILBERT STUART downe type is less well known. Washington sat to Stuart for the original of this important full- length portrait in 1796. The sitting was ar- ranged for at the request of Mrs. Bingham, of Philadelphia, as the portrait was intended as a present for the Marquis of Lansdowne, after whom it has ever since been called. It is now in the possession of Lord Rosebery. When this picture was finished and sent to London, the portrait was engraved by James Heath and published in i 800 without the knowl- edge or consent of the artist. It appears that Stuart had exacted a promise from Mr. Bingham that all rights of copyright should vest in him, but through some oversight the matter was neg- lected, and great was Stuart's wrath when he dis- covered these prints, by Heath, being offered for sale in Philadelphia. To add insult to injury, the engraver misspelled the artist's name and ac- credited the portrait to " Gabriel " Stuart. Miss Stuart states that this bitter subject could not be mentioned even in later years without her fath- er's becoming greatly disturbed and pacing up and down the room in anger. The print pos- sesses little artistic merit, but the artist felt he had suffered great pecuniary loss through the fail- ure to obtain copyright protection. This led to 47 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS an open rupture between Mr. and Mrs. Bingham and himself. As far as his artistic sensibilities are concerned he need not have grieved greatly, as full justice was done to the picture in the following year, when Edward Savage, the most eminent and fa- mous of American engravers in mezzotint, pub- lished a very handsome reproduction of the Lansdowne type. This is without doubt the most important mezzotint, both on account of size and subject and manner of treatment, of any that have been produced in this country. Un- fortunately, this was engraved on a very soft piece of copper which very quickly wore out, so that to-day it is almost impossible to find a really fine impression of this important work. The two proofs which the writer has seen are very beau- tiful, and show the costume with such a soft sur- face, that it almost seems as if one could feel the warm surface of the velvet. The great impor- tance of this print in a collection of Washing- ton engravings seems never to have been appre- ciated. Not only is it entitled to a premier position as a specimen of mezzotint work which will bear comparison with the best mezzotints of England at a time when the art of engraving in this manner was at its height, but it is quite 48 GEORGE WASHINGTON ENGRAV^ED BY E. SAVAGE iSol AFTER THE I.ANSDOWNE PORTRAIT or WASHINGTON PORTRAITS an open rupture between Mr. and.M-rs. Bingham 1 1 - ^ . anc ^^ • ' ' '^ . .....^ ^. .. . ^^ ^ , , as full justice to the picture in the following year, when Edward Savage, the most eminent and fa- mous of American engravers in mezzotint, pub- lished a very handsome reproduction of the Lansdowne type. This is without doubt the nportant mezzotint, both on account of Size and subject and manner of treatment, of any that have been produced ir "^- country. Un- fQr-f.Mv;rK.i,. «-his was engrave ^.. .. very soft piece o^ , iich very quickly wore out, so that 't !? 'almost impossible to find a really fine is important work. The two proofs which the writer has seen are very beau- tiful, and show the costume with such a soft sur- face, that it almost seen^ one could feel the warm surface of the velvet. The great impor- tance of this print in a collection of Washing- ton engravings seems never to have been appre- ciated. Not only is it entitled to a premier position as a specimen of mezzotint work which will bear comparison v - b^st mezzotints of England at a time w graving in this manner was at its i but it is quite 4b MOTOViiHgAW aoHoao io8i— aoAVAZ .3 Ya aavAJiovia TiAaraoM anwon^/!/..! iht asT-iA GILBERT STUART remarkable that a plate of this size could have been produced at all at that early day, in view of the undeveloped state of the art in this country at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The print measures tv^^enty-seven inches in height and twenty and five-tenths inches in width.* Edward Savage has never been accorded his rightful position as a mezzotint engraver of the first order. Not only was he an engraver in mezzotint and stipple, but he was an artist of considerable merit. His engravings were pub- lished towards the close of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century. As works of art they have never been rivaled or approached by any engraver in this country, and they will bear comparison with the work of the great con- temporary masters in England. As in the Wash- ington portrait, however, the plates were all very soft, and no fair estimate can be formed of his work unless proofs or very early impressions can be procured. In the monumental work on the "American Engravers on Copper and Steel," edited and com- piled by D. McN. Stauffer, and recently published by the Grolier Club, the author has reproduced *See Hart, No. 293. 49 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS as a type of his work the small portrait of Wash- ington by Savage, which is engraved in stipple. It seems unfortunate that one of the mezzotint plates of this master was not used as being more representative of the work of Savage. He was surpassed as a stipple engraver by both Tiebout and Longacre, but no one in this country ever surpassed him as a mezzotint engraver. The second most important engraving of the Lansdowne type is also a very large print, meas- uring twenty-four and four-tenths inches in height and sixteen and one-tenth inches in width, by an unknown engraver and published the same year as the Savage print, viz., July i, I 80 1, by Atkins & Nightingale, No. 100 Chest- nut Street, Philadelphia (Hart, 292). This print was published in black and in colors. A very beautiful impression of this mezzotint in proof state (before letters), printed in colors, brought the record price for a Washington print of $1,250 at the sale of Judge Mitchell's collec- tion, in 1906. The earliest type of all, however, and the one which is now most admired by those who have made a study of the Washington portraits is known as the Vaughan type. It is so called be- cause the first portrait ever painted of Washing- 50 GILBERT STUART ton by Stuart was painted for Mr. Samuel Vaughan in September, 1795. This portrait was sent to London, where Mr. Vaughan re- sided, and it was engraved by T. Halloway and pubUshed in London, November 2, 1796 (Hart, 259). There is great uncertainty in regard to this portrait. In a letter written by Stuart when a very old man he makes the statement that the portrait painted for Mr. Vaughan was rubbed out by him, but later authorities have favored the theory that this was an error and that prob- ably this portrait is the one now owned by Mrs. Joseph Harrison, of Philadelphia. The writer has not seen this original, but judging from a photographic reproduction it seems to lack the stamp of vigor and originality that are found in the Scott or the Gibbs-Channing portrait. It is not now possible to assert positively which of these particular portraits is from life, but both the Scott and the Gibbs-Channing portraits pos- sess so much quality that there is every reason to believe that in any event they must have re- ceived finishing touches while Washington was posing in the artist's studio. This type differs widely from the Athena?um type in that it represents Washington as a somewhat younger man and it is more pleasing, as it was painted 51 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS before his features were disfigured by a bad fitting set of false teeth, which gave his mouth such a hard appearance, and which gives him an un- pleasant expression in many of Stuart's portraits. Although Stuart painted Washington again and again, according to Rembrandt Peale, he only painted six portraits of the Vaughan type, which shows the right and best side of Wash- ington's head. " In the lower part of the face it has the advantage over the other portraits that he afterwards painted." These were all painted in 1795, and they will be specifically mentioned later. In 1796 he painted the Lansdowne full- length and soon after followed the Athensum head. George C. Mason, in his work entitled " The Life and Works of Gilbert Stuart," published 1879, says: "Stuart was overrun with orders for portraits from the moment that his picture of Washington was painted and although, as shown by the list he made out, he had heavy calls for copies of his likeness of the President, but few of them were at that time filled. When at length he began to meet this demand — and this was not till 1796 — his copies were all made from the picture known as the Athenaeum head, which shows the left side of the head." This %2 GILBERT STUART author also writes that the Washington portraits may be divided into two classes. ** One shows the right side of the face — these are the earlier pictures, and the other, giving the left side, takes in all the portraits painted after April, 1796 — the Lansdowne, Constable, Athensum and other pictures that are generally known as * Stuart's Washingtons.' It is very easy to establish the fact that the earlier portraits show only the right side of the face, but it is not possible to say now which of the earlier portraits is the earliest." It will be interesting to enumerate briefly the portraits of the type which shows the right side of the head. Doubtless one of the most finished and beautiful of all is the so-called Gibbs-Chan- ning portrait, which belonged to Mr. Samuel P. Avery, of New York, and which has just been purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is now on exhibition. The Mu- seum is to be congratulated upon this notable acquisition. This portrait has a very clear ped- igree. It was sold by Stuart at an early date to his warm personal friend. Colonel George Gibbs, and is claimed to have been touched up from life. Of this there is no proof, however, beyond the intrinsic merit of the portrait itself. Colonel Gibbs later sold the picture to his sister, Mrs. 53 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS William EUery Channing, who gave it to her son, Dr. William Q^ Channing. Mr. Avery pur- chased the portrait from Dr. Channing. In a letter which Dr. Channing wrote Mr. Avery he makes the following comment, which may be said to apply equally to all the six portraits of this type: " The venerable A. B. Durand, when shown a photograph of it, said, * That is a like- ness. It is much superior in character to the Athenasum portrait and should be considered the standard ; both the artist and the subject would gain by it.' He also said he wished he could have known of it in earlier life, evidently mean- ing that he would have engraved it instead of the Athenaeum portrait." The canvas, however, which, in the admirable work on "Original Portraits of Washington," by Miss Elizabeth Bryant Johnston, published in 1882, receives with the Athenaeum, Gibbs-Chan- ning and Vaughan heads the most extended and flattering notice, is the portrait reproduced at the beginning of this chapter, and recently acquired by the writer. Its size is the standard Stuart size, 25x30 inches. After critical examination .of this portrait, which belonged to Mrs. Anna R. Reilly, at present living near Trenton, N. J., this critic says: " It is painted upon twilled canvas, 54 GILBERT STUART and the nails are also of the same kind that Stuart always used. The back-ground is a rich, dark red and the portrait, which was once on exhibi- tion in New York, is described as being * a solid work, the color good and portraying Washington as somewhat younger than in Stuart's other pic- tures.' It has never been engraved, but has been loaned to the New Haven Art School. This picture is another (the authoress has just de- scribed the Gibbs-Channing portrait) very beau- tiful reproduction of Stuart's first picture, and, as Mr. Peale says, the lines of the mouth are less objectionable than in the Athensum por- trait. This portrait has a very complete pedigree, as may be seen from the accompanying letter from the late owner : Trenton, N. J. March 30th, 1907. Charles Allen Munn, Esq' Dear Sir, The portrait of General Washington by Gilbert Stu- art was purchased from the artist by Mr. Scott, of Lan- caster, Penna., and was always considered one of the six original portraits. Mr. Scott was well known to my family, and at his death, my grandfather, Edward Brien of Mattick Iron- 55 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS works, Penna., bought the picture. My grandfather was married in 1805, and the picture was purchased soon after. My grandfather died very suddenly in I 8 16 in his forty-seventh year. His family then re- moved to Lancaster, Penna., the portrait then becom- ing the property of my grandmother, Dorothy Brien. She was a daughter of General Edward Hand. About I 850, the Historical Society of Baltimore wrote to her, and wanted to purchase the Stuart Washington. I was a young girl at that time, and I answered the let- ter, at my grandmother's dictation, and declined to sell. The picture has been exhibited at the Union League Club, the Art School in New Haven and in the gallery of A. T. Stewart. I have lived in the house with it, except on those occasions, all my life. In 1876, an article appeared in the " Century " [then called Scrib- ner's Monthly] by Miss Stuart, the daughter of the artist, in which she stated that one of the most cele- brated of her father's portraits could not be accounted for. Of course it was our picture and I was urged to write, and give an account of it. I was then in great affliction, and did not care to write. Miss Stuart urged the person who had the portrait to come forward. I am sorry now I did not do so. My husband, Mr. Ed- ward Reilly, bought the picture from my mother. After I became the owner of it I would not allow it to go out of my hands. We went to live in New York in 1 88 1, and it was wanted for some celebration there but I refused to have it go. In 1879, a lady from Washington came to New Haven to see the picture, as she was writing a history of the Stuart portraits, and 56 GILBERT STUART wanted to put it in her book.''' It was then at the Art School. She cHmbed up a ladder to view it closely, and then asked permission to have it taken down for her to examine the canvas, as Stuart pictures were all painted on a certain canvas. She found the canvas all right. For the last seven years the portrait has been here. Since the death of my son-in-law, Mr. John Stockton Hough, I told my daughter Edith, who is my only remaining child, that I had left her the por- trait in my will, and if she wished to sell it she had bet- ter do so during my lifetime, as I could tell all about it. Prof. O. C. Marsh, of New Haven, asked a friend of mine to induce me to present the Washington to Yale. It seems that the six original pictures were four with the head one way and two the other. Our pic- ture was one of the two. A gentleman in Phila. owns the other. He wrote to me about it and came to Trenton to see mine, but I was absent and missed him. Moreover, I have forgotten his name. Mr. Hough knew him. Only for Mr. Hough's violent and sudden death in 1890, the portrait of Washington would not have been offered for sale. If I have omitted anything you wish to know, please write me. Sincerely yours, (Signed) Anna R. Reilly. In another letter Mrs. Reilly writes : ** I have * The lady referred to was evidently Miss Elizabeth Bryant Johnston, the author of that very interesting work, " Origi- nal Portraits of Washington," published by Messrs. Charles Scribner's Sons in 1882. SI THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS lived in the house with that picture nearly all my life. I was brought up by my grandmother Brien and her two sisters, daughters of General Edward Hand, and all I know about its purchase I know from them. Mrs. Scott, the wife of the original owner, was godmother to one of my great-aunts. She (my aunt) lived to be ninety-four." Among Stuart's papers was found a list of the portraits of the President of the United States for which he had already received orders. It is dated April 20, 1795. In this list appears the name of Mr. Scott, of Lancaster, the original owner of this portrait and the person alluded to in the letter of Mrs. Reilly. Among others in this list are Mr. Vaughan, Benjamin West, President of the Royal Academy, Colonel Burr, of New York, Mr. Chief Justice Jay, Colonel Read and Don Jose de Jaudennes, who gave Stuart an order for five portraits of the Presi- dent. This liberal patron of art will be recog- nized as the original of the beautiful portrait by Stuart which has recently (1907) been hung in the Metropolitan Museum, together with the charming portrait of his youthful American bride. One cannot help wondering if these five portraits were ever painted and if so, what has become of them. 58 GILBERT STUART Another very charming portrait of this same type was illustrated in McClure's Magazine for February, 1897. This portrait belonged at that time to Mr. Charles Henry Hart, who later sold it to Mr. Marsden J. Perry, of Providence. Mr. Hart claims that this portrait was originally painted for Mrs. Bingham, through whose in- strumentality the full-length portrait was painted and sent to the Marquis of Lansdowne. Mr. Hart, in his accompanying notes, says : " A du- plicate of this portrait is owned by Mrs. Joseph Harrison, of Philadelphia, and these two are the only ones of this type known. The beautiful Gibbs-Channing portrait ... is different." Mr. Hart was evidently unaware at that time of the portrait belonging to Mrs. Reilly and of the one belonging to Mr. Rives. It is indeed strange that of all the Stuart portraits of Washington ex- tant, there should be only these few which are of the better type and show the nobler man. Mr. Hart says : " Until recently it was an unknown type to the general public, but it is gradually com- ing to the front, its proper place, and is being accepted as a more correct and real portrait of Washington than the familiar Athensum head." Another portrait, which belongs to the same type and period of 1795, belongs to Mr. George 59 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS L. Rives, of New York. This portrait is almost exactly similar to the Scott portrait, having the same background of plain, deep red. It was in- herited by Mr. Rives from his father, Mr. Francis Rives, who purchased it from Mrs. George Rives, of Sherwood, Albemarle County, Virginia. Mrs. Rives had inherited the portrait from her father, Professor Tucker, of the Uni- versity of Virginia, the biographer and friend of Jefferson. It is not known how the portrait came into the possession of Professor Tucker. For purposes of comparison there is repro- duced a miniature on ivory painted by Robert Field. This miniature is of special interest as it contains at the back a lock of Washington's hair. This interesting heirloom was presented by Mrs. Washington to Tobias Lear, who for many years was Washington's secretary and trusted friend. It remained in the possession of the family until a few years ago, when it was acquired by the present owner. Probably the best description which has yet been published of Gilbert Stuart's style of paint- ing will be found in Samuel Isham's " History of American Painting," published by the Mac- millan Co., New York, 1905: " Gilbert Stuart still holds his place among 60 i MINIATURE OF WASHINGTON BY ROBERT FIELD PRESENTED TO TOBIAS LEAR BY MRS. WASHINGTON THRPF rvpES OF . L. Rivcb, >i New Y ~'- ^^' ""ait is almost exactly similar to t.^^ v. ^'^ving the same background of plain, ^ .: was in- herited by Mr. Rives from his father, Mr. Francis Rives» who purchased it from Mrs. George Rives, of Sherwood, Albemarle County, Virginia. Mrs. Rives had in' the portrait from her father, Professor Tucicer, of the Uni- 'pher and friend of 11 lb nuc how the portrait v.<-iu iiiio th-" '"^^^^essio r v^ x'rofcssor Tucker. T^ M nwrr _ cop n. '^^"^on there is repro- d<, ire on tainted by Robert Field. This miniatui special interest as it contains at the back a lock of Washington's hair. This interesting heirloom was presented s. Washington to Tobias Lear, who for many years was Washington's secretary and ' '' ■ ' - ' 'n the r aco'ilrp/^ -^-f-sent owner. " description which has yet been pub. Stuart's style of paint- ing will be n Samuel Isham s ** History of f^}i by the Mac- millan Co., " Gilb " lace among 60 GILBERT STUART our best painters, and even among his great con- temporaries in England. His scope was limited. While they covered large canvases with full- length figures and groups, using every aid of com- position and costume to produce their effects, and showing the result of this practice even in the arrangement of their half-length portraits, Stuart painted heads and little besides heads, as far as known not a single group, a few full- lengths, more half-lengths, a large number of what used to be called Kit-Kats — canvases thirty by twenty-five inches — and many even smaller than that. The heads are placed near the center of the canvases, often so near it that the figure, which was painted in afterward, is cramped as it would not be if the head were higher. There is no effort to diversify the attitudes; and the costumes, while skilfully and sufficiently done, are but accessories to the heads, and there is no attempt to make them of important pictorial in- terest. The heads themselves are all painted in a cool, diffused light, seldom relieved by heavy shadows or dark backgrounds. There is noth- ing striking, nothing forced; it is only a head — ahead with its ordinary lighting and expression. No artifice is used to throw it into undue prom- inence. Within these limitations (and they are 6i THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS serious ones) they are unsurpassed. No one of his contemporaries had a surer feeling for the con- struction of a head or a surer insight into char- acter. There are contradictory reports of his industry or indolence in studying drawing ; but whether by industry or nature, he possessed it thoroughly, as far as the human features were concerned. "Where he acquired his technique as a painter is even more mysterious. It seems to have been original with him. He could have got little teaching from Cosmo Alexander in Newport or in his erratic life before meeting West. . . . Exactly what the influence of his stay in West's studio was is difficult to determine ; the obvious effects to be looked for he seems to have com- pletely escaped. He got no taste for imitating the old masters, nor any liking for allegory, nor any skill in composition or in the handling of large canvases. Dunlap recognized their * dif- ference of opinion and style,' and in connection with it mentions the following circumstance which took place about 1786 on the occasion of a visit to his old master's house and gallery in Newman Street: * Trumbull was painting on a portrait, and the writer literally lending hi?n a hand by sitting for it. Stuart came in, and his 62 GILBERT STUART opinion was asked as to the coloring, which he gave very much in these words : * Pretty well, pretty well, but more like our master's flesh than nature's. When Benny teaches the boys, he says, " Yellow and white there," and he makes a streak ; " red and white there," another streak ; ** brown and red there for a warm shadow," an- other streak; "red and yellow there," another streak. But nature does not color in streaks. Look at my hand, see how the colors are mot- tled and mingled, yet all is clear as silver.' "No better description of his own style can be given. He paints with an unequaled purity and freshness of color, very delicate and sure in the half-tones, varying his color to suit the in- dividual, but with a pearly brightness which is characteristic. The paint is put on thinly, as a rule, in short, decided touches without heavy impasto, * mingled and mottled,' as he himself says, and his execution was surprisingly sure. Two or three sittings sufficed for a head, which he painted at once in its true colors, distributing the paint as little as possible after it was on the canvas, and without resorting to the glazings and varnishings so much in vogue in England. This sureness of touch was the more remarkable be- cause even in his youth Stuart's hand was trem- 63 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS bling and unsteady; and in his later years, when some of his best work was done, an eye-witness says that *his hand shook so that it seemed im- possible that he could paint. The last time I saw him I think he was painting the portrait of Josiah Quincy (in 1824). Stuart stood with his wrist upon the rest, his hand vibrating, and, when it became tolerably steady, with a sudden dash of the brush he put the color on the canvas.' "The brilliancy and preservation of his works to-day attest the soundness of his practice. He painted with a restricted palette which the cu- rious may find in Dunlap and Mason, with his method of setting it; but let them not hope to produce the same results. Stuart's style was his own. He did not learn it from others, and though he gave advice freely and generously, he could not teach it to any successor." In Mason's "Life of Stuart " above referred to, appears the following quotation from Miss Jane Stuart, the daughter of the great master. She says : " I am frequently asked by young artists to give them some account of my father's method of painting ; this I am quite willing to do, so far as my early recollection will permit ; but I have not the presumption to attempt to explain his 64 GILBERT STUART wonderful effects, which were peculiar to him- self; nor do I believe they could be transmitted. *'The impression I have received from a study of Stuart's heads is that his success was due in a great measure to his wonderful perceptive facul- ties. As he was quick to read the character of a sitter, so had he a clear insight into the color of his complexion, and never was he known to fail in this particular. " He commenced a portrait by drawing the head and features, and then he sketched in the general tone of the complexion ; for this he sel- dom required more than four or Hve sittings, and frequently it was done in three sittings. The picture was never touched except when the sitter was in the chair. At the second sitting he in- troduced transparent flesh-tints, at the third he began to awaken it into life and give it expres- sion, and then the individuality of the sitter came out. This was always done quickly. In the por- traits of men advanced in life, where the round- ness of youth is gone, we can almost fancy that he has given motion to the features. . . . " It has been said by some critics that his col- oring was too strong — that there was too great a preponderance of carnation in his flesh-tints ; to this I cannot subscribe. Stuart did not rely 65 THREE TYPES OF WASHINGTON PORTRAITS on or require strong colors to produce his ef- fects, for he had the faculty of bringing out his heads simply by the use of middle tints and tones, giving all the required rotundity and relief with- out the assistance of black shadows and heavy backgrounds; and yet the faces so painted are full of character and expression. In his work there is no appearance of labor, but everything that he did showed force and energy — so long as he kept to the head. When that was com- pleted his enthusiasm seems to have abated. With some notable exceptions, the other parts of his pictures were painted but indifferently ; but if he particularly fancied the subject, or the sitter was one in whom he took more than his usual interest, he worked with the greatest care to the end. In his draperies he was exceedingly careless, but he amused himself at times by paint- ing lace, showing with a few bold touches of his pencil how easy it is to produce an effect when one understands what he is about. But if any one of his intimate friends took him to task for carelessness in rubbing in the accessories in a por- trait, he at once replied, * I copy the works of God, and leave clothes to tailors and mantua- makers.' " 66 H 65 ^^^ % ■J .r <'. ■^ii' o -\' ^^--^^ .^' ;^^^ '>, :^=^> \' ^ r'' ^ 0' M'. "^^ N.MANCHESTER. INDIANA