Evening star. [volume], April 03, 1937, Page B-3, Image 19

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
CORCORAN EXHIBIT ATTRACTS
Prize-Winning Works and Other Features of Biennial Event
Arouse Unusual Interest—Impressive Showing in Various
Galleries—Proposed "Fake” Group.
By Leila Mechlin.
INTEREST has been centered this
past week in the Corcoran Gallery
or Art’s Fifteenth Biennial Exhi
bition, which opened to the pub
lic on Sunday afternoon. There was
a large attendance at the private view
on the preceding evening, and never
has the gallery presented a gayer,
more picturesque appearance than
upon this occasion, with its floral dec
orations and the touch of color pro
vided by the visitors themselves in
evening dress. As always, the four
paintings receiving the W. A. Clark
prizes and the Corcoran medals at
tracted chief attention and provoked
lively discussion. In this particular
they may have served, unintentionally,
a valuable end. Such consideration,
however, should take under advise
ment the fact that many of the works
shown were not in competition, for
one reason or another, and that di
vergent points of view had of neces
sity to be reconciled on the part of the
jury. Also, it may be added, the ar
tist’s point of view often differs from
that of the layman, in the fast that
whereas the latter merely considers
the results, the former gives emphasis
to means, technical achievement,
knowing from experience the diffi
culties which beset even the mast ex
perienced. But for these very rea
sons prize awards are often misleading
and carry with them much more
weight than they should.
In the present instance the prize
winning pictures will not meet with
public approval, save in the instance
of the portrait study “Snakey,” which
won fourth place, and Is a straight
forward academic work. But the pub
lic will have opportunity later on to
reverse the judgment of the artist
jury and award a prize independently.
This award, the “Popular Prize’’ of
S200 given by the Corcoran Gallery
of Art, will be determined by the vote
of visitors during the week of April
26. In this competition all works
shown are regarded as eligible. Begin
checking your catalogue now.
Of the 461 paintings included In
this exhibition nearly one-half were
invited and the rest selected by the
jury from works—approximately two
thousand in number—submitted. No
restrictions whatsoever were put upon
the jury which, once appointed, was in
this matter supreme. In this partic
ular the Corcoran Gallery recognized
Its dual responsibility, to the bublic
and to the artists. That the jury in
its extreme liberality perhaps gave
odds to the artists, some may feel; but
after all, perhaps, the best way to
eradicate error is to expose it. Free
speech in England and extensive op
portunity for display in Pi'a nee have
been found advantageous by both na
tions in separate fields and the prin
ciple is in accordance with our own
idea of liberty and national well being.
Current Trends
In Painting.
IT IS interesting and significant to
trace, in this exhibition, tendencies
back to original sources. The strong
est. if not the largest, representation
in this Nation-wide assemblage Is from
Boston and vicinity, 26 artists hailing
therefrom having in practically every
instance made notable contribution.
But these paintings are all conserva
tive, built on tradition, derived from
sources which nature provides, realistic
In that sense and technically more
than competent, but in the estimation
of the reviewer no more “old hat” than
are the works of the great masters of
the past, from whom these painters
derive in the matter of ideals and con
ception.
Then there is the Western group, in
cluding John Steuart Curry, Thomas
H, Benton, Grant Wood, Marvin Cone,
Paul Sample, Frank Mechau, jr.; Mil
lard Sheets and others who have
chosen to present the “American
Beene” with stark austerity. These
men in almost every instance are ex
cellent technicians, but their choice
of subject is for the most part literary
rather than artistic, in a sense purely
Illustrative and of today.
Less understandable is the tendency
for sheer ugliness, clumsy painting,
unpleasant color, unattractive subject
matter, which obviously emanates
from the Woostock School, from
which 18 or more of the canvases in
this exhibition have come—a large
proportion. And still more startling
is the influence apparently exerted on
contemporary painting by Kenneth
Hayes Miller, chief instructor at the
Art Students’ League of New York,
whose pupils, while technically well
trained, seem almost invariably to
elect to present in their paintings
aspects of life among the vulgar, and
not satirically, but always reflecting
their master's style.
Obviously there are other trends,
pood and bad—and painters strong
enough in the various localities to
stand alone—but these are the most
noticeable. When the P. W. A. proj
ect, a year after it was set up, held an
exhibition of work obtained there
“Hudson Bridge." etching and aquatint, by Frederick K. Det
wilier of New York City, on special exhibition in the Division of
Graphic Arts, Smithsonian Building.
under, in the Corcoran Gallery of Art,
remark was made of the obvious
gayety of spirits shown by the painters
despite depression conditions. This
comment cannot be made today of the
paintings that the painters, on their
own. are in many instances showing
in this exhibition. Apparently in the
intervening years the depression has
done its work. New heights will have
to be scaled, new horizons discovered,
if the torch of art again is to be lifted
up and held high.
In response to numerous requests,
and again with the purpose of fulfill
ing obligations to the public, the
Corcoran Gallery of Art has arranged
for Friday evening openings through
out the period of the exhibition from
7:30 to 10 o’clock. Admission free.
Large Local Representation in the
Corcoran Biennial Exhibition.
VyASHINGTON artists are espe
’’ cially well represented in this
exhibition—the representation num
bering no less than 23 now in resi
dence. Richard Lahey. whose full
length portrait of his wife has been
given pre-eminence in hanging, con
tributes also a landscape. "Maine Pas
ture Land"; Mathilde M. Leisenring
shows not only a charming canvas,
"Arlington Magnolias," but also a fine
portrait study of a lady, "Mrs. S.,” in
white gown and green velvet coat;
Charles Bittinger is at his best in
interior, "Drawing Room, Arlington,”
and Clarke Daniel admirably pictures
in a small canvas the "Old Supreme
Court Room” in the Capitol. Alex
ander Clayton is twice represented and
well. His "Tom in Maine” is indeed
an outstanding work and his still life,
"Fruit and Vegetables,” likewise
manifests his technical competence.
From Edward Bruce have come two
small landscape paintings which are
quite characteristic; Gladys Nelson
Smith and Hilda Gerarda Van S.
Marlin both score with portraits, per
sonal and interpretative. Catherine C.
Critcher is well represented by a triple
portrait of a Mexican woman and
daughters, and Eugen Weisz makes
valuable contribution by his portrait,
painted with directness and strength,
of "Mrs. Parsons.” An allegorical
subject decoratively composed and
well painted by Philip Bell has created
favorable comment, and much interest
has been shown in Marjorie Phillips'
base ball picture, "Ready for the
Pitch.” Among other local contribu
tors are Mrs. Richard Lahey (Car
lotta Gonzales), Rose Burr Bradley,
Grace Barker, Warren E. Cox, Ken
neth Stubbs, Reeves Euler, Gregory
McLoughlin, mane E. Crawford, Wil
liam Macy and Robert B. Carr. From
the Virgin Islands, Mitchell Jamieson
has sent a little canvas, “Cafe Inte
rior," which has been much remarked.
Among the erstwhile Washington
painters here represented are Rich
ard Meryman, Alexander James, Ellen
Day Hale, Wells M. Sawyer and his
haughter, Helen Sawyer, now Mrs.
Jerry Farnsworth; Everett Warner
and Hobart Nichols. Undoubtedly
some whose works would have been
found equally acceptable did not send.
Impressive Showing by Walt
Kuhn at Studio House.
AT STUDIO HOUSE, 1614 Twenty
first street, there is now, and until
April 25, to be seen an exhibition of
paintings in oil and drawings by Walt
Kuhn, one of the outstanding con
temporary individualists. To quote
from the introduction to the catalogue,
written by Mr. Watkins: "Walt Kuhn
is a restless searcher for the clear, un
compromising expression of the people
and the scenes of our time in the sim
plest and most time-proven terms of
the ancient art of painting. Of the
paintings included in this exhibition
most of the subjects are the per
formers of the circus and the vaude
ville; of the drawings, most of the
subject-matter is from the frontier
towns of the West in earlier and
rougher days. • * * While its boldness
may startle some, this group of paint
ings is presented in the belief that
Walt Kuhn, after years of the most
drastic self-discipline in every tech
nical and esthetic aspect of painting
and color relation, has now achieved
a clarity of conception and mastery
of paint quality which 1s one of the
very few important developments in
American art.”
Kuhn was born in New York in
1880 and is living at the present
time in the great metropolis; but
this does not mean continual resi
dence. In fact, he has traveled much
snd had many adventures! He has
seen life from many sides and angles.
At one time Mr. Kuhn was car
toonist for a San Francisco paper;
the people of the sawdust ring that
he paints have been on occasion his
History of U. S. Coinage
Began in 3-Story Phila
delphia Building.
By Mary Machin
Gardner.
HE UNITED STATES MINT,
authorized by an act of Con
gress on April 2, 1792, was the
first building erected by the
Federal Government for public use.
The comer stone of this plain three
story brick structure, on Seventh street
near Arch in Philadelphia, was laid
on July 31, 1792, and coining oper
ations were started in October of that
year. An old record reveals that 7
shillings, 6 pence received for some
old building material removed from
the site was expended for "punch”
at the laying of the comer stone.
Some 35 years later, coining oper
ations having outgrown the original
quarters, the corner stone for a larger
building was laid on July 4, 1829, the
fifty-third anniversary of the country’s
independence. Four years later this
Grecian-style white marble structure
was ready for occupancy and steam
replaced hand and horse power as
the motive power for the coinage
operations. The thoroughly modem
building now occupied by the Phil
adelphia Mint was erected in 1901.
The means used a hundred years
ago for protecting the Mint and its
valuable contents against robbery and
fire seem wholly inadequate when
compared with the complicated elec
trical mechanisms of the present time.
The first protective measures appear
to have been taken in January, 1793,
when two watchmen armed with dirks
and pistols were hired to guard the
Mint with the aid of Nero, a watch
dog purchased for $3. The watchdog
was to be sent through the yard after
the watchman had rung the yard bell
"precisely every hour by the Mint
clock.”
The rules and regulations which
went into effect on January 1, 1825,
reveal many interesting items about
the Mint in those days. A question
might arise as to the availability of
the means of protection in case of a
robbery, for these rules stated that
“the watchman will keep in a proper
arm chest securely locked, a musket
and bayonet, two pistols and a sword.
The arms are to be kept in perfect
order and to be inspected by an officer
once a month, when the arms are to
be discharged and charged anew.”
The watchman was required, as a
precaution against fire, to carry a
“dark lantern” instead of a candle
when making his rounds. In case of
fire he was to ring the alarm bell, if
one had been provided. Otherwise
he was to sound his “rattle” to attract
the attention of some one who could
"call an officer.”
Bulletin of Exhibitions
CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART—Fifteenth biennial exhibition
of contemporary American oil paintings.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, United States National Museum—Per
menent collections—Evans, Gellatly, Ralph Cross, Johnson, Harriet
Lane Johnson and Herbert Ward African sculptures. Stained glass
windows by John La Farge and William Willet. Paintings and etch
ings by Thomas Moran.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, DIVISION OF GRAPHIC ARTS—Ex- (
hibition of etchings by Frederick K. Detwiller.
NATIONAL MUSEUM, ARTS AND INDUSTRIES BUILDING—Exhibi
tion of photographs by members of the Associated Telephone Camera
Clubs. Japanese textile prints—Loaned by Mrs. Charles D. Walcott.
FREER GALLERY OF ART—Permanent collection, paintings, drawings
and etchings by Whistler. The peacock room, Oriental paintings,
bronzes, pottery, miniatures, etc.
PHILLIPS MEMORIAL GALLERY—Permanent collection, paintings by
old and modem masters; also works in sculpture. Retrospective exhi
bition of works in various media by Arthur G. Dove. Self Portrait by
Rembrandt.
STUDIO HOUSE—Exhibition of paintings and drawings by Walt Kuhn.
TEXTILE MUSEUM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA—Permanent
collection, rugs, tapestries and other textiles of the Near and Far East.
Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m. Admission by
card, obtainable at office George Hewitt Myers, 730 Fifteenth street.
ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON—Exhibition of paintings and block
prints by Marguerite C. Munn and painings and etchings by Elisa
beth Seancy.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, DIVISION OF FINE ARTS—Exhibition of
etchings and other prints by contemporary printmakers; Pennell litho
graphs; drawings by American illustrators. Special exhibition of
illustrations by Frederic Dorr Steele.
PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN BUILDING—Exhibition of works by pupils
of Richard Lahey. Mount Pleasant Branch, paintings by Mrs. Levine
and Nanice Holland.
WOMEN’S CITY CLUB—Paintings by Herbert Hicks.
DUMBARTON HOUSE—Historical art exhibit, furniture, articles of
utility and pictures.
INITMATE BOOKSHOP. LITTLE GALLERY—Exhibition of paintings
by members of Chevy Chase Woman's Club.
STUDIO. LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN, THE GRAFTON—
Exhibition of paintings by Eugenia De Land Saugstad.
GALLERY OF MODERN MASTERS, 1367 Connecticut avenue. Land
scapes and Studies by Isabel Kuhlman.
PAN-AMERICAN UNION. Exhibition of Guatemalan textiles.
-- -* i
“Tom in Maine,” by Alexander Clayton of Washington, D. C., included in the Fifteenth Biennial
Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings, the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
friends and associates: he knows
whereof he speakes. But one cannot
see and carefully examine these paint
ings by Walt Kuhn, now on exhibi
tion. without realizing that he has
studied and thought—that he has
arrived at simplicity through the
rough road of discipline. His is not
the art which conceals itself, mys
teriously, through complete command
of medium and maturity of experi
ence, but through its strength and
directness it does satisfy demands
and carry conviction. There is, in
fact, a certain roughness of expres
sion which on the Instant shocks, but
this is not a roughness of ignorance
or ill-manner, but deliberate choice
and by intent—and after accomplish
ing its purpose can be forgot.
Undoubtedly the paintings by Mr.
Kuhn have character and style—
they go so far but no farther—their
message is delivered in a single blow,
but it Is insistent. In the matter of
color his works are inclined to be
harsh, with the harshness found in the
dissonances of modern music, which
some enjoy. But on the whole there
is nothing that really clashes in his
color schemes—nothing which offends
the eye as inartistic. Mo6t pleasing
are his figures in costume—"Girl in
Uniform,” "Carnival Girl,” “Lassie,”
"Fancy Dress"—all of which have
colorful quality, picturesqueness and
strength, but likewise memorable are
his portrait studies of a "Woodsman”
and of a "Juggler”—the latter ren
dered with special simplicity. Nor
does he stop here, for two still-life
subjects—"Apples With Salmon Cloth”
and "Fruit Platter”—evidence un
equivocably his feeling for his me
dium and grasp of art, and in his
rendition of a bunch of "Talisman
Roses,” in a jar on a table, there is
an Impressive splendor of color asso
ciated with form.
The drawings are interesting as
supplementing the paintings, but less
notable in themselves, with two ex
ceptions—large landscapes which are
done in wash and line, in unique
manner and very effective. Collec
tively, however, the little sketches
show the artist’s instinctive feeling
for characterization and love of frank
transcription.
This exhibition is here through
the courtesy of the artist and the
Marie Harrinvan Gallery in New York,
where the major portion of the col
lection was shown last month.
Detwiller’s Prints of Modern In
dustrial Work and City Building.
pRINTS—chiefly lithographs and
aquatints—by Frederick K. Det
willer of New York—constitute the
April exhibition in the Smithsonian
Building, set forth under the auspices
of the division of graphic arts of the
National Museum. Mr. Detwiller is
one of the many-talented few—a
painter, etcher, lithographer, archi
tect, lecturer, writer and teacher.
Born in Easton, Pa., the last day of
the year 1882, he had the usual sec
ondary school education and then
went to Lafayette College, from which
he graduated in 1904. He then
studied law, and in 1906 was admitted
to the bar in New York. After a
year’s practice he abandoned this
profession for architecture, which he
studied at Columbia University. To
perfect his architectural studies he
went abroad and entered the Ecole
des Beaux Arts. But even then he
had not reached his goal. On the
advice of Victor Laloux, president of
the salon, he gave up architecture
for painting, changed his school and
later went to Italy, where he per
fected his knowledge of technique
and studied the works of the masters.
His first work on returning to this
country was ihat opened up by the
Great War—poster-making—pictorial
representations of war work in gen
eral—the painting of rangefinders.
Since then he has kept continuously
busy with various activities in the
field of art and has piled up for him
self many honors. He is a member
of numerous professional organi
zations and is represented in some
1 of the leading collections both here
and abroad. For the most part his
graphic work has been industrial and
architectural, subjectively at least. It
is the city picture, essentially Ameri
can, with its titanic achievement in
the way of skyscrapers, etc., that at
tracts his eye and stirs his emotions.
One of his lithographs in this exhi
bition is entitled "Granite and Steel’’
and represents Rockefeller Center,
New York, with its stupendous height
and bulk and repeated window pat
tern. Two other prints in this sec
tion represent Pennsylvania colleries.
a third sets forth the "Sweep of
Broadway,” while among the aqua
tints are one of the "Hudson Bridge”
in process of construction and sev
eral of shipbuilding in famous ship
yards. These are all rendered with
force and boldness as betoken the
themes.
More picturesque, and rendered with
lighter touch, are certain subjects
found abroad, such as "The Amo,
Florence,” and "Via Capponi,” in the
same lovely city. Surely it is no re
flection on one's patriotism to suggest
that the beauty of Old World buildings
transcends in many instances that of
the typical American scene and to
deprecate too great laudation of the
latter simply because it is our own.
Future generations will undoubtedly be
amazed at the immensity of our build
ing activities, but are we leaving to
them, as the Gothic builders have to
us, a great heritage of beauty?
Among his lithographs Mr. Detwiller
has included in this exhibition several
portrait studies of fellow artists—one
of the late "Pop" Hart, one of Orozco
at work, one of C. H. Hafner modeling.
New Exhibitions Opening
Tomorrow in the Arts Club.
TWO exhibitions open simultaneously
1 in the Arts Club. 2017 I street
northwest, tomorrow. These will be of
oil paintings, water colors and block
prints by Marguerite C. Munn of this
city and of paintings and etchings by
Elisabeth Searcy of Memphis, Tenn.
Miss Munn is a member of the Society
of Washington Artists, the Washing
Two Watchmen and a $3 Dog Guarded First Mint
--_
Congrefs of the United States:
At THi Taut UIIIOK,
Begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, on
Monday the fixth of December, one thou
fand feven hundred and ninety.
T) ESOLVTJ5 ip /icSesrsTS md Hoes* cf R t jur,' kt .vnvrs cf
A.*- iht Untied Sfntrj rf A*uri<* in CiHgrrf. aj,*tb!ed. Tint a mint
fiiail he cAabtifhtd uruto (itch regulations is (ball be directed by law.
Rifthcd, That thePniidem of die Uneed Stitts be, and he is
hereby iwfiorueed to eanfc to be engaged, fuch principal irtifh is
ihailbe neceSaty to tarry tie proceeding refohitioa into effc3, and to
ftipulate the terms aM tondjtiofi* of their ferrfee, and atfo to carafe to
be procured fuch apparatus as fhaH be tequi&e for ths fame purpofe.
PREDERKX AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
“Peter,” Pet Mint Eagle,
Was Immortalized on
Silver Dollars.
though Peter flew unmolested about
the city during the day. he never
failed to return to the Mint before
the building closed for the night.
Peter’s “untimely death” is recorded
in an old book: “In an evil hour he
unfortunately perched upon a large
fly-wheel, and getting caught in the
machinery, received a fatal in jury, to
his wing, and this ended the rather
an unusual career for an eagle.”
The word “Liberty” has appeared
on most of the coins since the Gov
ernment began “making” money, and
“E Pluribus Unum” first appeared on
the gold half-eagle in 1795. The
Motto, “In God We Trust,” however,
was not on the design for any of the
United States coins until 1868.
JN THE Government’s collection of
all of the coins made during the
145 years since this country had a
Mint, many unusual specimens are
found. Following the law of 1849,
ordering that $20 gold pieces be issued
one piece was struck, when for some
reason the work was delayed and the
year ended. The die had to be de
stroyed, according to the laws govern
ing coinage, for a coin dated 1849
could not lawfully be made in 1850.
This $20 gold piece in the collection
is marked “unique,” for it and one
of brass were all that were ever made.
It is generally believed that not more
than seven or eight silver dollars of
the mintage of 1804 were ever in
circulation in this country. Practi
cally all of the silver dollars of that
year were sent to China, where they
were to be used in place of the Spanish
milled dollars. En route to China
the vessel was wrecked with the con
sequent loss of the entire cargo of
silver dollars.
In the 1870’s China again figured
in connection with silver dollars.
Since China had no mint for the coin
age of silver or gold, the people de
pended upon foreign coin, chiefly
Mexican dollars, for domestic use.
Congress, therefore, in 1873 author
ized the coinage of the silver “trade
dollar,” not only to compete in China
with Mexican and Spanish dollars,
but also to serve as an outlet for the
surplus of the silver mines in the
West. As this dollar was to be more
valuable than the regular United
States dollars it was not Intended for
circulation in this country. However,
through some oversight it was made
legal tender to the amount of $5.
This mistake, later discovered, was
rectified in 1876 and the coinage of
the “trade dollar” was discontinued
in 1878. »
/~)NE rather startling rule announced
the discontinuance of the "drink
money” in 1825 and in its place $3
extra wages per month were allowed
the workmen employed during the
Summer months. Evidently there
were employes at the Mint in those
days who could not read, for the rules
were to be read to all workmen unable
to read and to all newly-employed
persons. Working hours at the Mint
were from 5 o’clock in the morning
until 4 in the afternoon, except Satur
day, when work ceased at 2 o’clock.
The Fourth of July and Christmas
were the only holidays.
The Philadelphia Mint has been -in
continuous operation since 1793, ex
cept when the prevalence of yellow
fever caused a suspension of work
for short periods during the years
1797-9 and in 1802-3. Although six
, other mints have been established
during the past 145 years, only two
are now engaged in the production
of coins—San Francisco, established
in 1854, and Denver, established in
1906. Carson City, Nev., boasted a
mint during the heyday of silver coin
age, from 1870 to 1893.
The three mints started in the
South in 1838, at Charleston, S. C.;
Dahlonega, Ga„ and New Orleans,
La., became inactive in 1861. The
one at New Orleans, however, re
sumed operations in 1879 and con
tinued to make coins until 1909, when
it was turned into an assay office.
The Government now maintains two
other assay offices, at Seattle and
New York. Because of the accumu
lation of gold bullion in the last few
years, a safe and adequate bullion
depository was recently completed at
Port Knox, Ky.
Many heated discussions, accord
ing to old records, took place in Con
gress over the emblems to be used for
the various coins to be made in the
new Mint. One, which nearly ended
in a duel, took place when the eagle
was suggested as a fitting emblem
for the new coins. A member from
the South, so the story goes, objected
strenuously to the eagle, because the
king of birds was not a suitable em
blem for a Nation whose institutions
and interests were all opposed to any
form of "kingly” government. A
Judge then jokingly suggested that a
goose might suit the gentleman from
the South, as it was a “rather humble
and republican bird” and that the
goslings c*>uld be placed on the dimes.
Highly incensed, the gentleman from
the South challenged the judge to a
duel, which the Judge promptly de
clined, declaring that the gentleman
knew he was a coward or he would
never have sent the challenge.
It seems quite fitting to find in old
accounts of early days at the Mint
that an eagle really did live there for
six years. The portrait of this Ameri
can eagle, called Peter, was recog
nized on the “pattern” silver dollars
of 1836, 1838 and 1839 and on the
nickel piece* coined im 1856. Al
“fancy Dress,’’ an oil painting by Walt Kuhn, included in the
exhibition at the Studio House.
r
ton Water Color Club, the National
Association of Women Painters and
Sculptors and other organizations. She
has studied with Henry B. Snell, How
ard Giles and Eliot O'Hara and needs
no introduction to Washington art
lovers. Miss Searcy is best known as a
painter of gardens and country estates
and for her etchings of the Mississippi
River and plantations in the deep
South. She is represented in the per
manent collections of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Library of Congress
and other public institutions. Miss
Munn and Miss Burdette will be host
esses at the opening tea.
Pupils of Lahey and Corcoran
School to Exhibit at Public
Library.
AT THE Public Library, the first of
the coming week, an exhibition
of the work of Richard Lahey, prin- ;
cipal of the Corcoran School of Art, i
will open and continue throughout the
month. Announcement has just been
made by Goucher College, Baltimore, |
of the appointment of Mr. Lahey as
instructor in drawing and painting,
with the rank of full professor. This
appointment, which takes effect next
Fall, is said to signalize the develop
ment of the department of fine arts
of this college on a broad and up-to
date basis.
Paintings by Mr. Levine and Janice
Holland will be shown during April in
the Mount Pleasant Branch Library.
At the Little Gallery,
Georgetown.
AN EXHIBITION of paintings by
members of the art section of the
Woman's Club of Chevy Chase opened
in the Little Gallery of the Intimate
Bookshop, Georgetown, March 30, to
continue to April 12. The following
are represented: Lona Miller Keplln
ger, Madison Small Leary, Jessie F.
Roudabush, Irene Underwood Trow
bridge, Edna Webb Miles, M. E. Parks,
Mrs. Lelfer Magnusson and Mrs. Ma
bele F. Robertson.
Exhibition of Work of Washing
ton Artists to Be Sponsored by
Women's Clubs.
A GAIN the District of Columbia
Federation of Women's Clubs will
sponsor an exhibition of art to be held
in the foyer of the National Museum,
Tenth street and Constitution avenue.
This exhibition will open April 9 and
continue to the 29th. For this display
there is a long list of distinguished
patronesses, headed by Miss Frances
Perkins, Secretary of Labor: Mrs.
Henry A. Wallace and Mrs. Daniel C.
Roper.
Fakes of Paintings in the
Biennial Exhibition Invited.
'T'HE Corcoran School of Art an
nounces an exhibition of "Fakes,”
inspired by paintings in the Cor
coran Gallery's Biennial Exhibition.
These may be burlesque subject mat
ter, title, manner of painting, name
of artist or any aspect of the works
shown. All artists in Washington and
vicinity are invited to make contribu
tions. The best works sent in will
be exhibited in the Corcoran School
for three weeks beginning about the
middle of the month. Works intend
ed for this exhibition must be sent in
before April 10. Two cash prizes—
one $20 and the other $10—will be
awarded, by an independent jury, to
the best two works shown.
Notable Loan Exhibition to Be
Held for Benefit of Orchestra.
'T'HE Phillips Memorial Gallery an
nounces the completion of ar
rangements for a loan exhibition of
important paintings, most of them
by the older masters, which are
owned in Washington. These paint
ings will be shown in its main gal
lery from April 16 to 29. There will
be an admission charge of 25 cents
for the benefit of the National Sym
phony Orchestra.
Invitations will be Issued for re
ceptions on the opening and the clos
ing days, April 15 and 30, when the
invited guests will each be asked to
pay $1 to the orchestra fund.
Among the lenders will be the Min
ister from Greece, Mr. Andrew W.
Mellon, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods
Bliss, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Laughlin
and Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Caspar
Miller.
Washington Artists to Participate
In National Exhibition,
New York.
nPHE Second National Exhibition of
American Art is to be held in
New York under the auspices of the
Municipal Art Committee, headed by
the Mayor, in the American Fine
Arts Galleries, 215 West Fifty-seventh
street, from June 15 to 31. Allotment
of space has been made to States
in accordance with their population;
for example, those with a population
of 6,000,000 or more may send 17
paintings and 3 works in sculpture:
possessions and Territories, as well as
States, having a population of less
than 1,000,000 may send 5 paintings
and 1 work in sculpture.
The District of Columbia falls into
the latter category—the last of the
five classifications—and Mr. C. Law
Watkins has been asked to serve as
chairman of a committee to make
selection. Mr. Money way, president,
and Miss Custis, chairman of the
Exhibition Committee of the Arts
Club; Miss Hollerith, secretary of the
Society of Washington Artists, and Mr.
Jex of the Landscape Club will serve
with him. Each of the organizations
represented will be asked to select
three works from their member
ship, from which Mr. Duncan Pnilht s
will be requested to select seven, and
from these the committee in charge
will choose the final five. Only artists
permanently residing in Washington
(has Washington any permanent resi
dents?) will be eligible.
League of American Pen Women
Announces Exhibition Opening
Tomorrow.
pROM tomorrow afternoon to April
16 Eugenie De Land—Mrs. Olaf
Saugstad—will exhibit by invitation
paintings and other works of art in
the studio of the District of Columbia
League of American Pen Women, the
Grafton Hotel. Invitations have been
issued by the league for an opening
tea April 4, from 3 to 6 o'clock. Mrs.
Saugstad is a former pupil of the
Corcoran School of Art and of Howard
Pyle. She and her husband, who is
a skillful craftsman, teach at the
McKinley High School and have a
studio and home at Arcturus, near
Mount Vernon.
Exhibition of Guatemalan
Textiles Opens at Pan-American
Union.
COLORFUL display of authentic
Guatemalan textiles goes on ex
hibition for a period of two weeks
beginning Monday. March 29, at the
Pan-American Union. The collection,
which includes table covers, wall
pieces, luncheon sets, blankets and
miscellaneous items, has just been
received from Guatemala, and as the
pieces were secured in all jiarts of
the country, the distinctive char
acter given to their work by the
Indians in each locality is clearly
shown.
Both wool and silk textiles are In
the exhibit, both types being made
from raw materials produced in
Guatemala, which are spun by hand
and then woven on hand looms by
native Indian craftsmen. The loom
ing of textiles is one of the leading
industries carried on in the homes of
the Indians, and the process today is
much the same as that employed by
the tribes long before the arrival in
America of the Spanish conquista
dores early in the sixteenth century.
One of the dominating features in
Guatemalan textiles is the lavish use
of high colors, which are secured by
the use of pure vegetable dyes made
by the Indians from native plants.
Both the colors used as well as the
designs have a particular local signifi
cance. For this reason, for example,
there are marked differences in the
colors of the clothing worn in various
parts of the country, some sections
showing a leaning towards red, others
favoring blues, browns, and so forth.
The display at the Pan-American
Union may be seen week-days from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays
from 9 a.m. to 12 o'clock noon.
Plant Explorers Unsung.
IN THE ranks of the explorer is one
A class of explorer who goes about
his vital work practically unsung.
He is the plant explorer, who is not
so concerned, for instance, with un
covering the history of earlier ages
as he is vitally interested in what the
future is to hold.
One such individual, Raymond
Stadelman, a special agent of the
Department of Agriculture, has brought
back from the interior of tropical
and semi-tropical countries 339 sam
ples of seed of the tobacco plant in
an effort to .discover some strain of
the plant which will bring immunity
to the ravages of such diseases of
tobacco as the mosaic.
During his trip, which required 15
months, he covered nearly 10,000
miles and tests already conducted In
dicate that in the native home of
tobacco he has found varieties which
offer some of the desired immunity.
In addition to mosaic, it is hoped
that the new strains will also show
immunity to wildfire, blackfire, mil
dew, wilt, stem rot, root rot, black
root rot and black shank.
Ten years of testing will be re
quired before any definite conclusions
can be reached and if at the end of
that period 10 or 12 strains remain
which meet the conditions, sought,
experts will consider the effort profit
able.
. • ■ ■ —
First Census in 1790.
'T'HE first census of the United
1 States, taken in 1790, listed about
4,000.000 people. It required 18
months for accomplishment. The
last 10-year census, taken in 1930,
was completed in 30 days and listed
better than 130,000,000 people.
Fine Japanese Lacquer Ware
Trays with cocktail or after dinner
coffee cups, soup and flnfer bowls, also
cabinets and boxes in all sizes.
ASIAN ARTS
NA. 4535 1143 Conn. Ave.
Abbott Art School
SPRING AND
SUMMER CLASSES
Commercial Art—Fashion—Life—Cos
tume Designs—Fine Arts—Interior
Decoration—Etching—Block Print.
1143 ComiyAvc. NA. 8054