A History Of The Rise And Progress Of The Arts Of Design In The United States Volume 1 PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1834 edition. Excerpt: ...very homely, while the husband was handsome, and of a noble figure. The painter, as usual, made the best of the lady, but could not make her so handsome as the husband wished, and preserve the likeness. He expressed in polite terms his dissatisfaction, and wished him to try over again. The painter did so, and sacrificed as much of the likeness to good looks, as he possibly could, or ought. Still the complaisant husband was uneasy, and the painter was teazed from one month's end to another to alter it. At length he began to fret, and to pacify him Stuart told him that it was a common remark, that wives were very rarely, if ever, pleased with pictures of their husbands, unless they were living ones. On the other side, husbands were as seldom pleased with the paintings of their beloved wives, and gave him a very plausible reason for it. Once they unluckily both got out of temper at the same time, and snapped out their frettings accordingly. At last the painter's patience, which had been some time threadbare, broke out, when hejumped up, laid down his palette, took a large pinch of snuff, and walking rapidly up and down the room, exclaimed, ' What a--business is this of a portrait painter--you bring him a potat-oe, and expect he will paint you a peach.' One of the most unequivocal testimonies to the truth of Stuart's portrait of Washington is, that when Vandeilyn was employed by congress to paint a full-length of the hero for the nation, it was stipulated that he should copy the countenance from Stuart's original picture in the possession of the Boston Athenaeum. Immediately upon hearing of the decease of our great portrait-painter, the artists of Philadelphia met, and published a number of resolutions expressive of their regret. I will close..