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NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN—PRIVATE VIEW—
FORTY-NINTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
If of late when, as even its best friends must admit, there has been but little to attract lovers of art in the yearly exhibitions of the Academy, the crush at the Private View has been too great for comfort, what was it last night when, as well understood beforehand, the artists had laid themselves out to make an exhibition of which no one, however exacting, should be able to complain! The evening was full of real enjoyment. There was no particular attraction elsewhere, and, in spite of the spitting rain, people took full advantage of the invitation to get a first look at the pictures, not as meaning a first look at pretty Spring toilets, but full of faith that they should find the art as well worth studying as the people. The usual decorations gave a festive look to the handsome vestibule, where flowers and music greeted the arrivals; but the best decoration was felt to be the well-filled walls, which for once it seemed a pity to hide by a rose-hedge of pretty women. Every one of the four rooms, and no less the vestibule, contains as many pictures as can be hung in it with advantage; and when we add that the artists have worked with energy and good will to make an exhibition worthy of the Academy, we have said enough to send thither all our readers who care for pictures, and for American pictures in particular.

The general public, no less than the artists themselves, is to be congratulated on the "new departure" which this exhibition shows, that our painters as a corporate body have taken. A few exhibitions more, and a very few, like those that we have lately had the uncomfortable duty to describe-and there can be little doubt that the Academy must have ceased to exist. Indeed, there had been much said of late as to the dangerous conditions of affairs, and to many persons there has seemed but little hope that the institution could survive the decay of loyalty among its members, and the loss of all interest in the exhibitions on the part of the public.

The display of attractive and in many cases of deservedly attractive foreign pictures in the galleries of our printsellers and colormen-a display continued as a rule through the whole year-had weaned almost everybody from the yearly Academy ambitions; but, more powerful still as an influence which seemed to many-both artists and laymen-damaging to the Academy, is the practice so common of late among the artists of sending their pictures, when finished, to the Clubs-the Century, the Lotos, the Arcadian, and the "Union League,"-where they have been studied at leisure by wealthy and cultivated people, and where they have had the best opportunities for meeting purchasers. We have never shared the opinion of those who have thought these Club exhibitions injurious to the Academy much less injurious to art. The trouble has been that the artists would not keep pace with their increased opportunities, and instead of making the Academy exhibition the great show of the year, and striving to make all the Club receptions more side shows to that, they left the Academy to drift away and break up like an abandoned hulk with the wind and tide.

It seems to us, judging the matter merely as world's people, that here was the way for the artists of the Academy to get their institution free from all associations with mere business and money making. Let them-we would have said-take advantage of the printsellers' exhibitions and the Club receptions to show their pictures to likely customers, but let them keep the best of the year's work for the Academy exhibition; let that be made a true exponent of the best we can do in art, and our word for it they will soon find that no money is lost by the operation.

This year at last the experiment has been fairly tried. It is longer than we like to remember since there had been so full and fine an exhibition. We look forward with pleasure to describing it for readers in detail. There can be no drudgery in writing about such pictures such as C. Coleman has sent us, or those of Vedder, in describing Richards's magnificent sea-piece, or Lambdin's flowers fair as ladies, or his ladies fairer than flowers. Page's two portraits this year bring back his old time; and Huntington and Baker are once more on their native heath. Then Eastman Johnson has two pictures that will tickle children and young mothers, and Whittredge also two, one of which is fine, in his old way, and the other striking in a new way. S. R. Gifford exhibits several pictures that explain the loyalty of his friends, serene and sunny memories of Italy, and McEntee is here with an important work which can't, however, make us forget the pleasant old ones. But it is not our intention to tell the reader more of what the exhibition contains than will make him reasonably anxious to see it for himself. He will hardly fail when he does see it to agree with us in thinking it an exhibition that does the artists great credit, and credit, too, to the gentlemen who have worked with so much spirit to make it successful-to Mr. J. Q. A. Ward, the accomplished President, Mr. W. Whittredge and Mr. Sanford R. Gifford. It may not be amiss to mention that already, before the exhibition is fairly open, more pictures have been sold on the walls than at the ten last exhibitions taken together. This the public will call success, but the exhibition is not only successful, it deserves to be successful.

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Monday Apl.20
I have little to record in my journal. There seems an utter stagnation in art matters. Avery told me he did not all use any one who has any idea of buying pictures. I think the dealers are pretty well discouraged. No one comes here. It is a little remarkable that pictures should sell at the beadery where they never have sold before. They are mostly low priced pictures however. I should probably have sold my  soletaire if I had asked about $800 for it. I am sorry now considering the way it is hung that I put any price on it. I have painted the past week a little late autun with two figures, based on one of my Deans Corner studies. I think it good in color and have commenced one 18 x 30 same subject which I have been hard at work upon today. Sherwood spoke to me about a picture that size and when it is finished I intend to call his attention