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LIVING AMERICAN ARTISTS.  47

varied, however, in its details from his first picture of this subject.

In 1858 he again arrived at home, where he was received with open arms by his brother artists, and where patronage to his heart's content awaited him. Early in the following year he was called upon by Mr. Alexander H. Ritchie, the celebrated engraver, who suggested as a subject for a canvas the well known picture, "Mrs. Washington's Reception;" or, as it is otherwise known, "The Republican Court." Mr. Huntington accepted the commission and at the price named by Mr. Richie. It was eighteen months before it was completed, as the work developed in quite a remarkable way on the hands of the artist, or in his mind rather. His original scheme for the composition embraced only ten or twelve figures; when finished it had not less than forty. This was one of the representative American pictures sent to the Universal Exposition at Paris. The fine line engraving of it by Ritchie is well known. From Mr. Richie's Possession it passed to that of Mr. H. W. Derby, Mr. Ritchie realizing handsomely by its sale. And here be it recorded, to Mr. Ritchie's honor, that, remembering the price agreed upon and paid to Huntington was but indifferent payment for the time he gave to its elaboration, he called upon the painter, soon after the sale of the picture, and, with a unique generosity, gave him a check which represented a handsome proportion of his profit. Mr. Derby, if we remember aright, exhibited this picture on its return from Paris, and soon after sold it to Mr A. T. Stewart (in whose possession it now is) for $20,000. Name it not in Gath, whisper it not in the streets of Ascalon-the artist's price was $2,500!

In 1862 Mr. Huntington was elected President of the National Academy of Design, with the working of which he had been closely identified when at home for many years. He laid the foundation-stone of the Venetian building on Fourth Avenue and Twenty-third Street, in raising funds for which he had been an industrious worker. He held the Presidency for eight years, when he resigned.

This brings us almost to the present day in this brief history of our artist, and yet we have but hinted at the number of his contributions to American Art. In such a sketch as this it would be impossible, if desirable, to enumerate them all; indeed, we feel urged to apologize for the extent to which we have gone in recording titles; but this much of cataloguing we could not well avoid and do justice to the artist's reputation. His Shakespearean subjects are well known to art lovers; his Shylock is familiar to the members and visitors of the Century Club, where almost all his important compositions and portraits have been exhibited. His exhibition picture of 1867 was a large landscape-"Chocurua Peak"- still in his possession and worked upon at intervals. It is very much improved by this retouching during the four years since its exhibition. In 1868 he exhibited two allegorical subjects-"Philosophy and Christian Art" and "Sowing the Word" - the first a commission from Mr. Robert Hoe, the latter from Mr. Anson Phelps. In 1870 his still vigorous brush was seen in a group representing the family of one of our merchant princes-Benj. H. field. A list of eminent Americans, their wives and daughters, painted by Mr. Huntington during the past ten years, would cover at least an entire page of this magazine. His portraits number probably a hundred, and are to be found in the homes of our wealthy metropolitans, in our colleges, and in the state and national collections.
 
Huntington's studio-which we lately visited-is at his residence on Fifteenth street. The walls of his reception rooms are hung with pictures-his purchases and the gifts of his brother artists; rare plants are in his windows, and objects of virtu crop out here and there to challenge criticism and admiration.

We found him at work. The portrait of a fair young girl was upon his easel; her spirit had passed, but a few weeks before, into the presence of the Great Artist. He was painting this picture partly from a sketch made after death, and partly from his recollection of the face. He knew the lady well.

In the huge canvas, covering an entire side of the studio almost, we recognized the landscape, "Chocurua Peak," to which we have referred, and did not fail to note the added

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