The sun. [volume], October 18, 1914, SEVENTH SECTION, Image 61

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

Image provided by: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation

                
7
THE SUN, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1914.
IMPORTANT OB JECTS TO GO IN "1
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON SAL
1
The Sargent portrait of Stevenson "Stroking His Own Mustache."
500 Volumes in Famous Author's Library, the Property of
Mrs. Isobel Strong, to Be Sold Beginning November
23 Interesting Group of Manuscripts
TICK lovers of Hobert Louln Steven
son, who nre legion, will be flung
Into a fresh state of excitement
by the announcement Just made
of the sale of 111- library In this city,
beginning November 23, by tho Ander
on Company These were his own
book. many of them with hundred of
aot. and markings made by the author
In hid studies for ht! mm. There nre
ilo a number of objects of art tf first
rtte Importance and letters from fa
mous personages. Without exception
even article In this collection wan Ste
venson's property nnd came from the fa
mous residence at Valllma. Samoa.
The. son volumes In the library con
tain come that belonged u Stevenson's
father, Thomas, and some to bin uraml
father. Itobert. both with their auto
graphs. Kvery book In such a llbraiy
will have perforce what book collectors
call "asHOClatlon Interest." It also goes
almost without saying thai the collec
tion contains many presentation copies
from Stevenson's famous friends, each
with appropriate Inscription!" upon the
flyleaves. Anions these may be died
such rarities as "HeltmfHo. From his
friend of many evenings, Henry
.lames". "Questions at issue, From his
affectionate friend. The Author, Ed
mund Osse", the "Mimes" of Schwob.
finned "To Robert Louis Stexcnson,
With my deep admiration, loving him
dearly. Marcel Schwob." nnd works by
Henley. Lang. Harnett nnd others.
Of even greater Interest tn the 1 i t r -ary
world and the counties." frlen.li of
this writer will be the group of manu
script!, which number more th.m snu.
Among these nre some short stories and
even a farce in thleo nets which have
necr been published. There are hun
dreds of poems In manuscript, four
pages of a manuscript In the Sanio.in
language, twele paces of Interesting
"South Sea Journals." an unpublished
essay on "Mow Itoolts Have to He Writ
ten" and an "Autobiography." written In
ls9. on which Stevenson writes In pen
cil two yearn later, "These note contain
more damned Idiocy and self-conceit
than I ever saw compressed In the same
space anywhere else."
When It Is added that in adillt-.on to
nil of these there nre forty-nine note
bookn. bound in paper and 1km ns, con
taining an enormous iiautity of
sketches, autographs, verses, notes and
mlseel.aneous material, anions which Is
a book In the handwriting of the au
thor's, mother, entitled. "Record Sayings
of It. I.. S" the Joy of the true Steven
son enthusiast will be unbounded. For
Is It not suniclently plain that among
all this mass of pitv.ite and personal
papers there Is sure to lie murli for the
future hlstor.diis that will tlguie as
fresli lilograplile.il m.itetlal?
As to delnlling the feature of the io.-
lection. that Is d.ltloult. for everything
in It Is Important, but no doubt the por
trait of Stevenson, by .lotin S. Sargent,
wi'l awaken the greatest popular In
terest. In a letter to Will II. Low, the
Anier.can iirtl-t. one of Hubert Louis
Stevenson's intimates, dated October 22.
IWj. he ttlote.
"Sargent was down again and painted
H poi trait of me walking about n my
own dining room, in my own velveteen
j.ckei and twisting as I go my own
mustache; at one corner a glimpse of
my wife. In an Indlnn dress, and seated
In a rlin.r that was once my grand
father's, but since some months goes
by the name of Henr .lames, for It
w ns there the novelist '.oved to sit
add' a much of poesv and comicality.
"It is. I think, excellent, but loo ex
centrlc to be exhibited 1 am at one
extieine vomer, my wife, in this wild
dress, looking like n ghost. l at the
extreme other end: between us an open
door exhlb ts my palatini entrnnce hall
and part of my respected stnlrcase. All
this Is toiii'lied In lovely, with that
wlttv touch of Sargent's, but ,f course
it looks damn nueer an a whole."
It is touched in lovely, hut with all
due respect lo It. I,. S., not wittily. Sar
gent Is never witty not even when
alone with his tlcnrest friends, but he
has a powerful vis. on for facts and the
facts that were before him this t 'me
were eruel and rruellj. not wittily, he
set them down. 8tvnson wan, we nil
know It, wasted by a. dread disease and
we are frightened Again as we. see In
thin portrait the loosw trousers hanging
about the. too lean shanks, the pitiably
thin hands and the ardent eyes burning
with ft fire loo great to be supported
except at the. expense of tho rest of his
frame.
Tho attitude Is marvellously furtive.
The poet In caught unaware marching
up and down "In his own dining room
as he wan wont to do no doubt when
thinking out his tales. Thai tho ghostly
Mra. Stevenson off In the other corner
wore bare feet Is not a witty touch, but
another of the facts. Have we not beu
told of that hnblt of hers by many his
torians? What Is thre that we do not
know about the Stevenson? I am
afraid the only wit connected with the
picture Is the witty letter of Btevenson's
concerning It.
But It Is a clever picture, character- I
istlc of the talent of the famous artist
who painted It, and two rival camps
will struggle for It nt the auction, the
book lovers rallying under the Steven
son flag and the nrt lovers who con
alder that the opportunities of buying
Sargents at auction are far loo few.
Another nrt object of great Interest
Is a statuette by Atlgttste Itodln, which
has never been exhibited, nnd was pre
sented to Stevenson by the famous
sculptor late In 1S86, when Stevenson
was at Skerryvnre, Uournemouth. Ste
venson called the statuette "Spring
Time." and others have referred to It
as "Spring Awakening the Karth." It
has travelled from Paris to Uourne
mouth, then to Scotland, then round
Cape Horn to Apia, then three mile
up tne mountain In an ox cart, then to
San Francisco and Santa Barbara, Cat.,
and then to New York.
It was In Mrs. Stevenson's house at
San Frnnclseo during the earthquake,
and her house was the only one In a
row that was not destroyed by the
earthquake nnd tire. The statuette was
the subject of an Interesting corref pond
ence between Stevenson and llodln and
bears the following inscription: "A H. I..
Stevenson, au sympathise artiste, lldele
ami et cher poete. Hodln."
j The beautiful medallion of St. Oau
den, the most famous and admired of
. all Stevenson portraits, Ik also In the
I collection. It Is circular In form, about
, three feet In diameter, framed In oak.
I and It hung over the fireplace at
I Valllma. Kt. Oaudens. who Steven'on
called the "Godlike enlptor." began the
relief in UST, but did not complete it
I until five years later, It has been re-
produced with one or two slight modl-
flcatlons for th memorial in St. fide
i Cathedral, the monument that was un
veiled hy Lord Ito'ebery In 1S0S,
The Invalidism of Stevenson Is here
w. ...... U'.iiru "I'I'.'l -
writer Is shown propped up against
' three pillows In bed. The charm and
grace of Stevenson surmount the back
ground. The portrait Is probably known,
so widely have the reproductions been
circulated, to every one who has heard
of Robert Loula.
The memorials of Stevenson's youth
'are many and are of great Importance,
i Chief of these curiosities Is the ffun
t brain Maoaslne. which Stevenson edited
when a pupil nt Mr. Tomllnson's day
I school at Kdlnhurgh. There are three
numbers of- the Journal, each containing
original colored drawings, which recall
by their vivacity and real talent the
early productions of Thackeray, nnd
there nro also live drawings that were
Intended for future Issues of the am
bitious magazine.
Stevenson waa n boy of 16 nt the time
reward for the best history of Mtvee,
with Illustrations, and It. 1.. H. won the
prize. There are several pages of this
hlMory In ItH mother's handwriting,
taken down at his dictation. Accom
panying it is the prize that he won, n
quarto volume of Bible similes, In
scribed, "It. I.ouls 11. Stevenson, A He-
the collection that were, made y
Stevenson, Including wimn made later
In life, when Ive wat living In the
South Seas.
The entire collection Is the property
of Mrs Isobel Strong, who Inherited
It from her mo(her. .lrn. StevenAonl
whose death occurred peat' Santa. ItyfcJ
THE SUJSBEAH MAGAZINE
. ana -
I. C4.lt. (
r MtiLSIKZ .
SOKE
I
I
, iU
EKTEK. KOKSIEU.R. GRILUER.
..
j' "1 1
A ?Ai6 cLe,r-ru tia.
?
1 1
! rj
e
be '
'r
'I
T
17
.--
Specimen page of boyish magazine edited by Stevenson.
of the Kunhrtim. but another earlier ward for the History of Moses, with il
produi tlnn antedates it by ten yenrs. lustrations, from his affectionate uncle
He was but t! years old when Ills
rmie David offered to the children a
David, Christmas. 1S56.'
Then1 are many other drawings' In
lura. Cal., February IK. 101 1. It
be divided Into two Mictions, the
of which will he sold In November
the other later In the se.itton.
wlir '
first
and'
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OF ART--BSH&fJier3eT
and Drawiims bv New Artist Bonrrf
New Art Lectures Notes and Comments. '"-T
T 7" KrPKI. t CO. have dared to In-
IX troduce a new art.st to us thus'
X X. early In the new season. They
have arranged an extensive ex
"iniion 'if etchings nnd drawings by
Mir is ,1 Itiuer. p niitchnian whose
u-or'K s so far from having tieeime
en v are to our general thnt It Is known
'o bu' few of our collectors. The others.
It Is mtr tn predict, will r.se to the now
ba.lt. for Haucr, one must ndni.t at once,
! very clever Individual and his.
themes are attractive.
These he rinds almost wholly hi the
Orlen' It not alone the Orient of the',
present hut the Orient of history and of I
fable There nre princes mak.ng their
way through narrow streets with nt- j
tend.ints throwing money to the enrnp-!
ttired rabble and stern merchants and
vttrs and more thin one episode In
the Queen of Sheba's story. It Is as If
the artist hail been consumed with love
fnr the refinements nnd cruelties thnt
The Thousand and One Nights' Muter
tsinment revealed tn us and promptly
with the sudden discovery of etching nt
career had tied to revel In the "actual
itls," as they call them now
Pi ier seems to have been another of
thrfo etchers an, some of the greatest
ran he .neluded Ln the 1st. who have
hronte etchers over night This s how
his friend I'lullppe .liken recounts 111"
tl'e
'HU"l I believe, made his first etch
ne in tin- studio, nl Villa Helene, In the
vjitjnin of Hsi. After this (Irst essay,
nhfoiuteh rharacteristlc of hla tlnal
work nd destined for n publication of
'h Soclrtj of Dutch Ktchera, Ilauer
was seizei with that pai-slon for etch
in? which takes possession of all those;
Tho drp fntrf to nchleve great things
lth aqua fortls Almost as if nt play
hemnde a considerable number of little
Mints with the compos, tinn either
'Irhtly skenhed In or profoundly elab
irafd in which one can already discern
'he svnthesls of his graphic powers
"ilauer would amuse himself In the
v'ninc transferring these crnquls to
n tnetni imd In the morning he would
hring them to me. nnd I found rnre Joy
n prmtlng on choice iaiier tViie ex
1UIS)t evoeatlons of the Orient whli h
I had always adored."
Psuer hss nlteady found many com
mentators and they mount to higher
"ages of enthusiasm than we can roit
'"lentlnuly command at present lie
has pronilsn and ability, but the word
"masterpiece" should be used can
Mously. The very next exhibition nt
Jf'Pre's might happen to be of Item
brandt. for a Kembrandt show Is an
annual nstitutlnn In this house, and tin
'""lin.itelv for new reiutatlons the
vsnlard of masterpieces is exceeding
h.gh
'' 'iconcertlng fenture of the new
asplMnt h work Is the tendency for large
'tchirss. which are rather emptily
MmiM It Ik to N hoped that the ar
fnnds will encourage him In the
or snuller plates, In which he Is
r'anv more successful nnd in which
hl fhances are greater.
The drawings In wash are ery viva
"itif nnd full of fresh observnlioti Thy
' mp idcd m the modern Whlstlerlsh
'ahlnn o that details are rarely ills
'erntPh? Wr know what the mnis of
human beings If up to hut not what the
HJiv,4,u1 , dolnr Tne ansl , (ond
of the war game as practised by the
ancients jiihI he makes oii ft 1 th
ru.sli of the wild hoidc tin ouch narrow
ilcllies anil tlie scoiuing .spirit of the
skirmisln'ts who peer out from moun
tain ledges over wide stretches In
seiinh of the enetnv They ate as
economic of means and as broad in
view ns Turner's sketches. Hut Tur
ner's sketches were designs for pic
tures; these of Hatler's nre the llnlshed
works themselves. Times change and
no art fa'hlons nre permanent.
Alfred llelsby, an artist who was born
of Kngllsh parents in Chile, elves Ills
second exhibition In the Arlington C!nl-
lerles. The painter still dreamt, of that
far away land, for nil the landscapes
are of Chilean themes. Ho Is undeni
ably fond of what are popularly ailed
"views," and gives ns plenty of great
peaks and ranges and vust stretches of
scenery. One of the loftiest of the peaks
Ih the "Sunset on the Andes." painted
In all sorts of pink. Invender and gera
nium colors, and with such steep cliffs
and precipices that one shudders to
think of Miss Annie IVcl. climbing
them Hut of course that valiant sprit
could see the weal spo' 111 these for
midable d' fences
A more Miolhing prospect t. pre
sented In the picture ca led "Pnrmhnuse
In Spring." bul the pastoral retreat,
fenced In bv budding trees. f ngaln
only a small portion of an immense
view. Won d that the painter might
give us a more Intimate aciount of this
attractive spot'
The Montross (lallerles open with nn
exhibition of American pictures, mostly
by the younger men. and nmong them
can still be found traces of the cublstlc
furore that raved "before the war."
The most striking picture of tho first
gallery, and for that matter of both
galleries, is Coot go Hellows's "Olrl With
I ted Hair." The subject Is an attractive
creliture built upon a latge t-cnle and
so excellently adapted to the sweeping
brush strokes of this artist's manner.
She Is seated between the folds of two
curtains and a side light hits the face
with a glare of simplification such as
often happens with fpntllglits In thea
tres. Th usual forms and shadows to
the face are missing, und the artist
evldentlv found pleasure in seeking the
new colors at .1 forms that were called
fin Hid it r,i t 1 1 1 worked more care
fn v i n . i iiiti i hi i'sh iliau in any
i, I i i I r ' e,l
Portrait Gcraldine Lee No. II. Painted by George Bellows.
It will not. however, provoke dis
cussion. Timid people who think they
have Just arrived at safe hearings In
their studies of impressionism will not
be Jolted from their foundations. They
wiM say; "Yes, this Is sound work,
such as we have already seen In Ma
net's masterpieces. Therefore It Is
rlnht to admire h." And nobody will
contradict them, for Manet's light
was fought and won long ago and his
place Is jecure and his satellites have
actually become royal academicians.
It would be very delightful, however.
If our young American artists would
begin a fight of their own. We don't
care a continental what It shall be
about, all we Insist upon Is that all sorts
nnd cor.lltlons of men take nn Interest
In It and fuss over It. We should like
It to be so compelling, for instance,
that even dov. Olynn nnd Mr. Sulzer
would turn aside from their careers
for un hour or two to study It. and
that Miss 1'nnkhurnt and other fair visi
tor to our city should feel It necessary
to see the new work merely ns a
matter of education hefore starting off
on their lecture tours. Gabrlele d'An
iiuur.lo goes to Purls every year Just
to keep mi with the fashions In art,
Whe-n shall we compel Oahrlele d'An
liunxio to come to New York"
Randall Davey has the same manner
nnd the same weaknesses as Mr Mel
lows, only more of both, Ills portrait of
Kuthie" shows a robust young woman
of uncertain waist lines, uncertain,
frightened eyes and a sndly sunburned
nose, She la so grotesquely garbed and
so awkwardly posed that there is a
suggestion than "Fluthle" may be In
reality an actress doing a "chnracler"
part Mr Davey' "Portrait of Miss
K" Is much better, and In fart it m.iy
credit him. like Mr. llellowas "lied
Haired Olrl," as an advance upon his
last year's performances, There are
the usual timidities of drawing, and
holdnes.- with the brush that seem tn
war with each other.
Guy Tene Du Hols shows several of
his satiric canvases, the mo't effective
of which is "Mrs. .-X." The lady In
this "portrait" appears to lie about 30,
a most Interesting age If Uenrge Moore
and Hnlzac are lo be believed, She has
cleverly chosen to be seen by candle
light, trust the woman of 30 for that,
and her coiffure has been most catefullv
accomplished and she alts there In nn
Idlenesfi that Is sure to be dangerous
for some one. The "Seekers" In the
picture by Oeorge Alfred Williams tha'
is also called the "Drama of the Spirits"
have wandered tn a high pinnacle over
looking the sea. but apparently did not
wander there to And each other. The
two figures are In a tangle of draperies
nnd their hands nppenr In unexpected
places, hul In allegories of this kind
one mustn t Insist upon understanding
everything tn the same nrtlst's "Pil
grimage" a procession conies along the
road and the personages appear tn be
self-Illuminated, like the gentleman
who advertises cigars upon his shirt
bosom on Hroadway at nights,
Among the other pictures are Kdward
Hopper's "Road in Maine," a lncere
and quiet effort of realism, three flown
studies by Klmer 1., MacRae In a new
manner for him portraits by I", K
Spelcher and IMwin Booth Oinsm.in
and a not wholly ucceMfui attempt at
fantasy upon the part of Hugo Dallln,
The publication of reproductions of
great works nf nrt has become so in
tegral a part of modern culture that the
destruction of a great house devoted to
this work would keenly affect American
education. U interest.
It Is, in consequence, a pleasure t'
record that the rumors of such a dis
aster to the Dormiuh lalxuatniics of the
Malson Ad. Hratin et Cic nre entirely
untrue. Several members of this firm
are at the front with the allies, but the
routine nf the establishment has not
been In any way affected by the war.
ART NEWS AND COMMENT.
ANNOI NCKMICNT Is mado by tho
Hoard of IMucatlon that on No
vember' 1" It will opt n a new
course of nrt lectures- for the adults of
the city at Public School Hi.', loxth
street west of Amsterdam avenue. The
subject will be "Art and Dally Life"
and the lecturer John Qtiincy Adams,
assistant secretary of the Municipal
Art Commission. The lectures will take
up In turn "Art ui the Psv of Things,"
"The It autv of M hi ' no ,M ide Thu gs"
Paintings II Ion.; ng to Hie t . of New
York." "The Oulld Painters of Hol
land" and "City Planning."
The course being given by Alex
nnd'r T Van l.aer and Dr. Hruno
Ho-elll of Ailelphl College, Brooklyn,
will be continued this week. On Tues
day evening at the Mils um of Natural
History, Seventy-seventh street , and
Central Park West, Mr. Van Uier will
lecture on "Unbent and Rembrandt and
the 1'alntern of the Netherlands" and
on the evening of the 22d Dr. Hoselll
will lecture on "Orvleto the Peiirl of
the Hill Towns." continuing his course
on "Italian Towns."
On Thursday, October id. nt the
Avery Library of Columbia Cnlverslty.
opened an mportant nnd Interesting
exhibition of I-'rench and Flemish tap
estries, assembled and arranged by
Oeorge I.eland Hunter, author of the
standard book on tnpestrles and lecturer
on tnpestrles and furniture nt the
Metropolitan Museum, Among thn
tapestries shown are one very early
flothlc, five splendid flobellns, two
American portieres In the style of the
(tobellns and after Houcher, two re
markably perfect I.ouls XI verdures
woven in Brussels nnd a number of ex
traordinarily Inrge nnd beautiful Renais
sance pieces,
Colnciden with the exhibition aeV."
four lectures b Mr. Hunter, the Mrm
n the Avery Library on the evening'
of October I,", at S:ir. P. M . entltjetl
"The Story Interest of Tapestries", lb
second nt the same hour on October
22 In Scherinerhorii Hull with lantern
Illustrations; the third, also with Ian
tern Illustrations, on the evening -nf
November 12 at the Metropolitan Ma-r
scum of Art on "Tnpestrles vs. PnrnY-1'''
Ings"; the fourth a lecture promenada
nt the Avery Library on the afternoon
of November in at 4;1.". ,
Mil
MjkkkK k mm LH
Portrait of Miss K, Painting by Randall Davey.
The exhibition at present in the Mif.
nlclpal Art (laler,es, Kast Sixteenth
street nnd Irving place, consists of tap
estries, nnd cartoons from the Herter
Looms, with paintings by the artlsta
associated with this organization. A
special feature Is made of the cnrtoorfsl"
for the tnpentrles of the McAlpm Hotel,!
.1... u,,l.uni. r.- ...t.tni. i - , .
me .-.ui'jei-i.- no OIUH OilVC necn louno
In the early history nf New York. The' '
paintings nre by Irving It. Hcitknin'p.
.Noenil I. Pernessln, .Jessie Arms, War
ren Dahler, Claggott Wilson. Kmlly
fliace Hanks and l-Ilhcl M. Parsons ..
The course of lectures In art appre
ciation by Louis Weinberg will be con
tinued this winter In the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, beginning Octoher 34. ,.
and continuing on Saturdays, 10-12
A M I-ollnwim; each lecture the class
will go lo the gnllcricM of the museums
nnd there, in the presence of tho maa
terpleccs of the Altmnn, ITcnrn, Morgan, e.
Vanderbllt, Wolfe nnd Marquand cnl
lections, the technique nf art from th" '
painters' point of view will be nnalyzt.' '
In a recent public address ,!nrnii -P.reok
the director of tho new Mlnne
npnlls Institute of Arts, thus spoko of"
the future policy of that Institution:
"The Minneapolis Institute of AVTs
will be n public museum of painting. "
sculpture and the decorative arts, pas,
nnd present, of nil countries. It seijka'
quality, not quantity; that Is the onW
limitation of Us scope. Let me speak'
a little bit more In iltiall on the nubjeet
of the policy of the institute In regard1"
(n acquisitions. In a general way prob
ably more than half the material ex
hibited in the institute will bo contem
porary nrt and we shall endeavor .to
have Illustrated III about equal propor-
lions contemporary art of our own
country and Dial of Lurope, Hut tj'
limit our collections to contemporrtrM
art uluue would be to limit the range
and possibilities of the benefit to Im
derived fiom the museum. Nnthlrfg,
furthermore. Is more Instructive, aljs
more to understand and appreciate 'he
work of our own time than to hnve tiio
I opportunity of tracing in one musenm
the bistoiy of art from the remoto pimt
to the piesent day, noting how one
period of art Is developed from uuutbar.
each new period being the tesult of 11
Hint has gone before. Therefore In re
gard In the older periods of art It Is the
uitcnimn of ibe Institute to llltistrtrte
these hi small but carefully chosen col
lections of inaiei-ials. winch will Include
examples of Oriental ail. of ICgypllan
and classical art n ml ol the arl of the
earl Christian. Ootliu. Renaissance a ad
later periods which lead up to that, of
our own time."