SPECIAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS DECEMBER 8, 1880.

To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution:

GENTLEMEN: The Board of Regents has been called to this special meeting at the request of the Executive Committee to consider two subjects of importance, requiring action before its regular annual session. At the last session of Congress the following act was passed:

AN ACT for the erection of a bronze statue of Joseph Henry, late Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution be, and are hereby, authorized to contract with W. W. Story, sculptor, for a statue in bronze of Joseph Henry, late Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to be erected upon the grounds of said Institution, and for this purpose, and for the entire expense of the foundation and pedestal of the monument, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved June 6, 1880.

(Forty-sixth Congress, second session, chapter 116.)

The Secretary of the Institution immediately informed Mr. Story of this action of Congress, and requested his views on the subject and information as to his acceptance of the commission.

This correspondence is as follows:

"SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,

"Washington, D. C., June 10, 1880. "SIR: A bill providing for the erection of a statue of Prof. Joseph Henry, late Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, introduced by Senator Morrill, has become a law. A copy of this is herewith inclosed. "As you will see, its essential points are the provision for a bronze statue of Professor Henry, to be placed in the Smithsonian grounds, and that the total cost, including expenses for the pedestal, &c., shall not exceed $15,000.

"I beg to inquire whether you will. accept the commission under these conditions; and presuming that you will, I forward herewith as full a series of photographs of the illustrious deceased as can be sup

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plied by the Institution. This series includes those which in the opinion of Professor Henry's family are most characteristic likenesses.

"I shall be pleased to have from you any communication on this subject, and, if possible, designs for the proposed statue and pedestal, for communication to the Board of Regents at their next annual meeting in January, 1881.

"As this Board is to decide upon the construction of the statue, it will not be possible to give you final authority in the matter until the Board shall have taken action thereon.

"I am, meanwhile, very truly yours,

"SIR: I have just received your letter of June 10, informing me of the bill lately passed by Congress, by which the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution are authorized to contract with me for a statue in bronze of the late Professor Henry, for the sum of $15,000, including the foundation and pedestal of the monument, and asking me whether I will accept this commission.

"Mr. Senator Morrill had already communicated to me this entirely unexpected and agreeable news. Until his communication was made, I had no notion that it was intended to erect such a statue, but I most willingly accept the commission, with hearty thanks to those friends who, without any knowledge on my part, put forward my name as the sculptor.

"My recollections of Professor Henry are in every way most pleasant. He was very kind to me when I was last in Washington, and it will give me pleasure to do all in my power to make a statue of him worthy of his high distinction and his amiable character.

The photographs which you have had the kindness to send have not yet arrived, but I have little doubt that they will supply me with the necessary material. As you say nothing of a mask in plaster from the face, I suppose none was taken. This I greatly regret, as it would furnish me, in connection with the photographs, the absolute facts of the face, as well as the character and expression. If such a mask was taken, or anything was ever made of him containing the exact measures of his face and features, I should be most glad to have them. If any bust was ever made, however bad, it would be of use to me in determining points of size and measurement. I hope, too, there may be among the photographs some one or more in profile, or at least three-quarters face. Do not in such case be prevented from sending them merely because they

are bad in expression or otherwise. What I want is facts, and the more I can have of these the better. They will not lead me astray as to expression. Small facts and details may be explained in one which are not clearly determined in another, and enable me to make the head more living and true.

"I regret to hear that no absolute action can be taken by the Board before January 1, 1881. This will greatly delay the execution of the statue, to which I was intending to devote myself immediately on my return to Rome in October or November, so as to be able to finish the model this winter. But if all final arrangement is postponed until January before the absolute commission can be given and the contract made, the winter will have passed, and the execution of the statue will, I fear, be necessarily postponed for a year, as it is impossible for me to remain in Rome and execute the model during the summer without very great inconvenience and difficulty.

"You wish me to send you, if possible, designs for the proposed statue and pedestal, for communication to the Board of Regents at their annual meeting in January, 1881. Of course I can do this, if they think it advisable or necessary; but I must frankly say-I hope they will excuse me in so saying, as no kind of disrespect is intended, or want of confidence in their taste and judgment—that I think, if they have any faith in my ability, it would be better for them to leave the conception and execution of the statue entirely to me. There is nothing so dangerous as to interfere with an artist in his design, or to judge of it and criticise it from a small model. The freer he is, the more responsible he feels, and, if he has real ability, the less he is tampered with and directed, the better his work will be. If he has not the requisite ability to do it by himself, he should better not do it at all. No suggestions by any committee and no directions and alterations will ever make his work good. My own experience has been that this divided responsibility and designing has almost invariably resulted in dissatisfaction on both sides. The artist can only do well with what is in his own mind, and not what is in the mind of others, and my own judgment is that he does far better when left to himself, always provided he has real capacity for his work. If I may be allowed to allude to my own personal experience, I may add that in the case of almost the only public portrait statue of mine in America, the committee, composed of gentlemen of high taste and pretension to artistic culture, after rejecting my own first sketch, and insisting on my altering the attitude and arrangement to meet their views, contrary to my notions, were finally persuaded, when the work was completed and it was too late, that they had been entirely wrong in dictating these changes, and regretted that they had interfered. Nevertheless they threw upon me the responsibility which belonged solely to them. I made their statue and not mine, and they were disappointed, as I foretold that they would be. But I do not need to speak of my

own personal experience; the experience of all artists is the same on this point.

"However, if despite this, the Board desires me to send them a sketch I can do so; but of course, as I have stated, this will delay the statue for a year, and I cannot see the advantage.

"In fact, I have already made a sketch of the statue since I received Mr. Morrill's communication. But I doubt whether it would mean as much to you and to the Board of Regents as it does to me; whether you would rightly understand it in its roughness, and whether you would not look for that finish which no free sketch ought to have, and rather look to details than to matters and balance of composition, which are the all in all of a sketch. I say this because I know one case where a sketch was rejected because the likeness in the face was not striking, as if any true artist would, in a mere sketch, attempt exact portraiture of the face. It would be equally good as to composition and design with no face at all, if it had the just movement.

"You say nothing as to details of the commission, or the size of the statue, or the place where it is to be erected, or its surroundings. Is it to be in the open air, or under cover in the buildings? Is its background trees, sky, or building? All these are very important considerations in view of its effect and of its size.

"I take it for granted that the pedestal is to be a simple one, and not to have illustrative bas-reliefs or figures, inasmuch as the sum appropriated for the whole thing is less, or certainly not more, than what is ordinarily paid for a statue alone without pedestal or foundation. I also suppose by the reading of the act of Congress that this sum is to cover the cost of the statue and "the entire expense of the foundation and pedestal," and this is all. It does not, as I understand it, include boxing, transportation, insurance, and placing, as they are distinctly not mentioned.

"Can you give me an estimate of the cost of making the foundation, and approximate price of a simple pedestal executed in Washington, in marble or red granite, or stone of any appropriate kind? This would guide me in determining where I should make the pedestal, whether here or in Washington, and of what material.

"As to the sum of $15,000 appropriated by Congress, does interest run upon it from the date of the enactment? In regard to payment I suppose you are aware that the ordinary rule is to advance to the artist one-half the sum when the commission is given, or the work commenced, to enable him to meet the necessary outlay and expenses, without recourse to his own pocket.

"I mention all these particulars in order to avoid all misunderstanding. "I again recur to the question of time, and I earnestly hope that it will be possible for the Board of Regents to arrange definitely this whole matter at a much earlier period than that mentioned in your letter, viz: January 1, 1881, as it will involve the loss of a year. If I could have

the commission and authorization to commence the work by the 1st of October or November, I could finish the model by the spring and immediately arrange for its casting in bronze during the summer so as to have it ready to send to Washington by the 1st of October following (1881).

"I suppose that the Board of Regents is equally interested with myself in desiring the statue to be finished as soon as possible, and if they will definitely authorize me to begin the model by the 1st of November, I can promise, unless some unforseen accident occurs, to finish it in bronze by the 1st of January, 1882; otherwise I fear we shall have to put it forward to January, 1883.

"If the Board of Regents have faith in my ability and will trust me to follow out my own ideas in this statue, I will pledge myself to do my best to satisfy myself and them, and to spare no pains to give them a statue worthy of the subject, worthy of the place, and satisfactory to the family, friends, and admirers of Professor Henry.

"You must not expect too much. The male costume of the present day is crude, graceless, and thoroughly unsculptural. But I will do what I can to hide its awkwardness and ugliness without falsifying truth and fact, and endeavor to render the statue serious and dignified and natural. I suppose that Professor Henry had no academic costume, and that there is no peculiar professional dress in which he could be represented. If there be, and the Board of Regents is willing that I should clothe the statue in such a dress, I should most gladly do it. Then I should be able to drape him in some way at once dignified and true to fact. The academic costume could be treated so as to make an imposing statue. In such case, would you have the kindness to forward to me the dress, that I may use it to model from? The silk academic robes would be admirable and advisable, but I scarcely dare to hope that he wore one, or that I may use it. What did he wear? If this academic dress is out of the question, what may I represent him in? Did he wear a cloak?

"The sketch I have made represents him as in a buttoned frock-coat, over which is a loose open sack; it is in the attitude of meditation; his head bent slightly forwards, looking down, one hand resting on a desk or stand at his side, by which to break the horrible uniformity of the two legs of pantaloons, and give breadth and dignity to the base, and one hand across the breast midway, at the place of the upper button of the buttoned coat; on the stand are books on which his left hand is placed. On the whole, those who have seen it, think it simple, dignified, and thoughtful. If it is to be made in coat and trousers, I doubt if I could do better, but I shall think it over and make other sketches.

"Will you be kind enough to send me any memoir that may exist of Professor Henry, so that I may have a more thorough knowledge of his character and services and labors than I now have. I beg you not to