EYENIKS
S(G-RAF
H
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7
-La
VOL. XIV NO. 143.
PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1870.
TRIPLE SHEET THREE GENTS.
sna riwD arts.
IUthermer Plailr rk Bailie ((!
Tbe fTeat three days' conflict that waft
waged at Gettysburg was the culmination of
the war for the preservation of the Union,
and it practically docided the fate of the Re-
sllion. From the time that the baffled and
broken army of Lee commenced its retreat to
the Fetomao the fortunes of the Southern
Confederacy declined, and the total collapse
ihat occurred when Lee surrendered at Appo
uttox was only a question of time. The
battle of Gettysburg was a splendid display of
Valor on both sides. Tbe Rebels were deter
mined if possible to make Pennsylvania the
battle-field instead of Virginia, and to obtain
pot session of the rich cities of Philadelphia
and New York. The rank and rile, as well
as the leaders, knew what a rich prize was
at stake, and with the remembrances of im
poverished and war-trodden Virginia in their
minds, and the almost unlimited wealth of
Pennsylvania and New York before them,
they met the Union army At Gettysburg with
determination to stake everything upon
the issnes of the battle. The consequenoes
of a victory for the Rebels were folly appre
ciated by the Union army and its leaders,
and they w( re inspired to make a mighty
effort to make this invasion of loyal Penn
sylvania tbe last, and to strike a blow that
w uld have a decisive effect in determining
the fortunes of the war. For three long July
dftys the battle raged, and then the broken
fragments' of Lee's army fled towards
the Potomac, leaving the field strewn
with the wounded, doad, and dying who had
fallen in the furious charges made upon the
Union ranks. From first to last this was one
cf the most fiercely contested combats of the
war, and it is no disparagement to the offi
cers in command to say that the victory was
achieved even more by the hard fighting of
the men in the ranks than by good general
ship. It was eminently proper that the Leginla
ture of the State within whose borders such a
battle as that of Gettysburg was fought
should desire to possesn a memorial of it in
the shape of a great historical picture, that
upon a single canvas would epitomise the
conflict and hand down to future generations
the counterfeit presentments of the officers
and men who specially distinguished them
selves. Jij a fortunate coincidence, the only
American painter who was capable of doing
full justice to such a subject was alsoaPenn
sylvanian, and there was a general feeling of
congratulation when the commission for the
picture was given to Mr. Peter F. Rothermel
of this city.
Mr. Rothermel is the American colorist,
and in his coloring, as in the other characteris
tics of his style, he is original and distinc
tively American. None of the European
color masters can n reproach hij in ba peoe-
uar qualities uiai giwuw pictures ineir
greatest value, and there are few if any artists
on either side of the Atlantic who are in other
respects as highly qualified to appropriately
treat such a subject as "The Battle of Gettys
burg." It was a fortunate chance that gave
Mr. Rothermel such a theme for his magnua
pv, and he has produced a picture that is
an admirable representation of the great
battle, it commemorates, that is not only a
credit to American art, but is without exagge
ration the greatest pictorial work of art ever
executed on this side of the Atlantic, and
that does honor to the State of Pennsylvania
that ordered it as well as to the artist who
produced it.
The commission for this picture was given
to Mr. Rothermel four years ago, the price
being fixed at $25,000. This sum, large as
it is, fc small when the time, talent, and labor
Beeessarily expended upon the work are taken
into consideration. His acceptance of the
commission required Mr. Rothermel to de
cline all other commissions, and for nearly a
year he was busily employed in studying out
his subject and in deciding what particular
points in the battle should be represented,
lie made repeated visits to the battle-field
and carefully studied the ground, taking nu
merous sketches, and consulting with the
prominent officers who had participated in
the combat and all others who could give him
ad vie e and information.
The main difficulty was to choose the par
ticular point of view that was most advan
tageous for pictorial effect, and the particular
point in the battle that would epitonrixe it
most effectually and at the same time admit
f the best treatment from an artistic point
of view. There were certain things that
must be represented arid certain persons to
be introduced without whose presence any
picture of the Battle of Gettysburg would of
necessity be incomplete. It was found to be
impossible to reconcile all the conflicting
elements with literal accuracy, and the artist
was obliged to some extent to fall back upon
the license of bis art, and while making his
composition as literal as possible a repre
sentation of a particular episode at the same
time to include in it features that would
make it a record of the battle as a whole.
The restrictions imposed npon Mr. Rothermel
have somewhat impaired the excellence of his
picture as a mere composition, but its defi
ciencies in this respect are not very marked,
and they are more than counterbalanced by
the additional historical interest given to the
work.
The immediate subject of the picture is
the last desperate charge made by Pickett's
division of the Rebel army upon the left
centre of the Union line under the command
f General Ilanoock. In the centre of the
picture is the stone fenoe across which some
of the most desperete fighting of the battle
took place. The most prominent figure, that
attracts the eye of the spectator immediately,
asd epcfititiitta w it &e kej-nou tg tire
whole , work, is a stalwart Union sollier,
stripped of coat and accoutrements and stand
ing one foot npon the wall and the other
upon a dead Rebel, besting back the enemy
with the butt of his musket. There is mag
nificent action in this figure, which is in 1
itself a personification of the valor of
the rank and file of the Union army. To the
right the Rebels are marching up to the
atone wall with fixed bayonets, and far be
food the well-defined figures in the fore
ground a maRS of heads, tattered battle-flags,
and burnished arms are seen pressing on in
eager baste to join in the fray. On the left
the Union soldiers are dashing forward to
meet the enemy, and the front ranks of the 1
combatants meet over the stone wall, which
runs in slightly diagonal direction towards
the left, nearly in the centre of the picture.
Along the line of the wall are seen the flash
of the muskets, the bristling of bayonets, the
clubbing of muskets, the fall of wounded and
slaughtered men, and all the innumerable in
cidents of a fierce hand-to-hand conflict.
Mr. Rothermel has been criticized, un
justly we think, for making the common
soldiers the heroes of his picture, and placing
the officers rather in the background. Get
tyKburg was emphatically a soldiers' battle,
and while all honor and credit are due to the
offioers who aided in winning the victory,
Mr. Rothermel's picture more truly repre
sents tbe true character of the battle, and
gains in historical value as well as interest
by the adoption of this treatment.
General Meade was in another part of the
field at the time the particular incident
recorded by Mr. Rothermel oocurred, but
very properly he and a number of other dis
tinguished officers are introduced on the ex
treme left. In this group are a number of
portraits of officers who figured prominently
in the battle. General Meade, his son
George, and Colonel Haskell, of his staff, are
seen on horseback. General Hancock,
severely wounded, is near the centre of the
picture, and in the midst of the melee is seen
General Hunt, Chief of Artillery, firing his
revolver. General Webb, who had
command of the Philadelphia brigade,
is represented on foot. Colonel Bains,
Adjutant to General Webb, General Gibbons,
Colonel Wessner, General Bingham, Colonel
Mitchell, General Hall, Colonel Devereaux,
Major Roberts, Celonel Mason, Colonel
HeBser, and Captain McCuen are among the
most prominent of the Union officers. On
the Rebel side are portraits of General Armis
tead and General Garnett. In addition to
the offioers a number of the other figures are
portraits of soldiers who participated in the
battle, and the aim of the artist has been to
make the picture as literal as possible by in
cluding all the portraits obtainable.
In the distance on each side the battle is
seen fiercely raging in different parts of the
field, and in the immediate foreground on
the right is depicted a group of dead and
wounded Rebels, while on the extreme left
Union artillerymen are actively engaged in
working a field-pieoe. The ground is strewn
with muskets, broken drums, canteens, and
accoutrements of every description, and a
pathetic incident of the battle is recorded in
the beautiful figure of a poor little Union
drummer boy lying dead beside his instru
ment. ColorisU are not usually draughtsmen, and
Mr. Rothermel's weak point is his drawing.
His usual faults are not so apparent in this
picture as in some of his previous works, but
few of the figures are really well drawn, and
some of them are positively bad. As a com
pensation for this the flesh is magnificently
painted, and the figures are full of life and
movement. The motion that fills the picture
is one of its most admirable qualities, and
the spectator can almost imagine that he
hears the noise and rush of the battle as he
gazes upon the animated scene that the artist
has represented. Simply as a piece of paint
ing the picture is superb, and apart from its
size and the importance of its subject, it is
Mr. Rothermel's masterpiece.
It may surprise many who are aware of Mr.
Rothermel's reputation as a colorist, and who
hear this work praised as a color picture, to
find so little positive color in it. The pre
vailing tone is grey, but none but a colorist
of genius could have produced such a wonder
ful harmony of tints, and whenever a bit of
color is introduced, as in the flags that wave
over the heads of the fighters, it tells with
remarkable effect. The sky, overhung by the
clouds of battle, is a beautiful piece of paint
ing, and the landscape portion of the picture
is treated admirably. The bit of distance
to the right seen above the heads of the
Rebels and the view of Round Top upon the
left would be sufficient of themselves to make
Mr. Rothermel's reputation as a landscape
painter.
Large as is the sum the artist will receive
for this work, it does not represent the full
value of his labors. Sinoe he undertook to
paint the picture he has devoted himself en
tirely to it. The progress of the work has
involved the expenditure of a large sum of
money, and the artist's profits will not be by
any means what they would had he not de
voted himself to this labor of love; for such
it has been to him. Some rathes censorious
remarks have been made in regard to the
proposed exhibition of the picture for the
urtiht's prolit, and it is well that the
public should be acquainted with the above
facts. Mr. Rothermel received full permis
sion for the proposed exhibition from the
committee of the Legislature having charge
of the matter, and we hope that the publio
appreciation of his work will enable him to
realize handsomely by it. On the 20th in
stant the picture will be unveiled at the
Academy of Music with appropriate ceremo
nies, and afterwards it will be placed on view
W Jwrorairy kuiJ JiPg cow being pre
pared for it in Chesnut street, above Tenth,
where it will remain for several weeks.
About its future disposition no arrangements
bave as yet been made, but it should by all
means be retained in Philadelphia. There
is no proper place for it in the State Capitol
at Harrisbnrg, and if there were, it would be
a pity to bury such a work of art in a country
town, where comparatively few persons would
ever have an opportunity to inspect it.
frter de :(' Gallery.
Messrs. Porter &. Coates have attached to
their store, No. 822 Chesnut street, one of
the handsomest picture galleries in the city,
which is now filled with some choice works
of art that will well repay an inspection.
They have just reoeived a very pleasing pio
tnre by Professor Raupp, of Munich, entitled
"The Snow Battle." It represents a group
of urchins engaged in a lively snow-balling
conflict, and it is as admirable as a piece of
execution as ft is attractive in subject. Be
sides this, there are a number of very beauti
ful landscapes, full of poetical feeling, by
Iiiness, of New York; a couple of fine marines
by Hamilton; several spirited landscapes by
E. D. Lewis, and some excellent specimens
by English, German, and American artists of
reputation, in various styles, sizes, and sub
jects. Messrs. Porter fc Coates have also
a very complete stock of fine
engravings, chromos, and photographs, from
which those who wish to make holiday gifts
that will possess permanent attractions can
scarcely fail to make suitable selections. A
good picture is one of the handsomest orna
ments that can be placed in a room, for it is
not only attractive as a piece of furniture,
but it is a constant source of pleasure in
itself. Some of the smaller works in the
gallery of Messrs. Porter & Coates possess
great merit, and their prices, as a general
rule, are not so great as to place them beyond
the reach of persons of moderate means. A
good original will always give more satisfac
tion than a copy, but for those who cannot af
ford originals, a well-executed chromo, or an
engraving or photograph of some masterpiece,
presents substantial artistic attractions that
commend them to the regard of art lovers,
while a good chromo, photograph, . or en
graving is always better worth having than
an indifferent original work. We commend
the art collection in the gallery of Messrs.
Porter & Coates to the attention of our
readers, and we advise those who wish to in
vest in something attractive for the holiday
season, but who are in doubt as to what dis
position to make of their money, to visit this
gallery and' inspect the choioe works of art
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Particular attention la drawn to the fact that In a
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Statuary, Bronzes, Clocks, Vases, Pedestals,
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