city of Philadelphia, find a salary of forty-five hundred dollars a year inducement enough to give up all their clients and business relations, and remove to a distant town, where they will be precluded from forming any new connections in the way of private practice and will have no certain prospect before them but that of being unceremoniously turned out in a few years, perhaps with the aid of some trumped-up scandal, to make room for a new incumbent. The fact is, that the profession of architecture is a hard and poorly-paid one. A man, particularly a young man, who could be sure of earning three thousand dollars a year at home, among his friends, in a large city, where his connection would be likely to extend, would be foolish to abandon his prospects for the office of Supervising Architect, and that so many good men have been obtained simply shows that the professional income of the ablest men is a very small one — a mere fraction of what would be earned by a lawyer of corresponding intelligence and attainment, with equal labor.
W
E learn with great regret of the death of Mr. Herbert C. Burdett, of Buffalo, N. Y., one of the most brilliant and successful of our young architects. Mr. Burdett was, we think, a graduate of Harvard College, and was for a long time in the office of the late H. H. Richardson. He went into business on his own account in Buffalo, as partner with Mr. Marling, and the firm of Marling & Burdett soon obtained a high reputation for clever and original work. Several of the buildings of the firm have been illustrated in our pages. One of the most recent and successful of all is the house of the Calumet Club, on Delaware Avenue, Detroit. Although of a quiet and thoughtful disposition, he was very popular in and out of the profession, and will be greatly regretted, not only in Buffalo, but among architects throughout the country.
THE Pall Mall Gazette tells a good story of the artist Whistler. Not long ago, the Corporation of Glasgow,
which owns a good collection of Dutch pictures, but no modern ones, made up its mind that a few paintings of the present age would be good things to add to its gallery. The news got about that the Corporation was in the market for modern pictures, and a memorial was sent to it signed by Sir John Millias, Mr. Orchardson, and a great many other distinguished artists and amateurs, advising the purchase of Whistler’s portrait of Carlyle, which was for sale at a thousand guineas, — not much over five thousand dollars. The price was acknowledged to be reasonable, but Scotch corporations are quite as business-like as similar bodies in other parts of the world, and a deputation was sent to buy the picture, but, if possible to get a reduction from the price. Mr. Whistler received his visitors politely, and was evidently gratified at the long list of distinguished names signed to the recommendation of his picture, so that he probably bore the haggling of the deputation more placidly than he might have done under different circumstances. The first move of the committee, in accordance with the usual business rules, to affect disappointment at the painting. “ It is not a brilliant picture, ” said one, “it is not highly colored. ” “Am I brilliant? ” replied Mr. Whistler, “or are you highly colored? We are very ordinary looking people. The picture says no more. ” The critic then changed his ground, and inquired if the portrait was life-size; as if he suspected that some material had been fraudulently saved. The artist blandly explained that no portrait was measured life-size, but that the expression meant that the subject was represented as he would look, without diminishing or magnifying. Thus defeated on artistic points, the bargainer resorted to chemical hypothesis. He inquired whether the colors in modern pictures did not fade badly, as compared with those in works by the old masters. It may be doubted whether Mr. Whistler would have made any considerable discount from the price of his picture on this ground, even if the suggestion had been justified, but he replied, with asperity, that “ modern pictures did not fade, and therein was their great damnation. ” The committee could not think of any further objections to the picture, but left the artist with the request that he would take into consideration the necessity for strict economy in corporation expenses, and let them know the next day, when they would call upon him again, whether he could not make a reduction in the price under the circumstances. The next afternoon they appeared again, and inquired whether Mr. Whistler had
thought over the matter of the price of the picture. The artist seems to have been in good spirits, probably at the reflection that his adversaries had not gained much advantage over him so far; and replied gayly, “ Gentlemen, I have thought of nothing since I saw you but of the pleasure of seeing you again; and, now that you are here, let us talk and be happy. ” This greeting disconcerted the committee, who could find nothing in their repertoire of business arguments to oppose to it; and they went home convinced that the picture could not be had for less than the asking price; and, let us hope, that it was well worth it.
THE Wiener Bauindustrie-zeitung says that the largest picture in the world has been found in an ancient Buddhist
temple at Petschaburce, in Siam. The picture, which represents Buddha reclining, is painted on a brick wall which is plastered, lacquered and gilded. The figure is one hundred and forty-five feet long. The arm is seventy-six feet long from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers; and the ear is fourteen feet long, and the other dimensions are in proportion. The eyes are of mother-of-pearl, and the head is covered with natural hair. No one appears to know the age of the picture, but it is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
THE Wiener Bauindustrie-zeitung says that it is now fully determined to complete the great Siberian railway, which
will connect European Russia with Vladivostock, on the Pacific Ocean. It is proposed to make Tiumen, the convict station about which Mr. Kennan has told us so much, the starting point of the Government line, leaving the connection, across the Ural Mountains, between Tiumen and the railway system of European Russia, to be made by a private company, which is ready to undertake the task. From Tiumen the great Siberian line is to follow the River Obi to Tobolsk, which is a flourishing city, and from Tobolsk it will run easterly to Tomsk, and thence to Krasnoyarsk, on the River Yenisei. From Krasnoyarsk it will run southeasterly to Irkutsk, passing close to the Chinese frontier. Here the engineering difficulties begin. After curving around the southern end of Lake Baikal, which, it will be remembered, is about as large as Lake Michigan, the line reaches Verkoi Udinsk, and begins the ascent of the Yablonoi Mountains, which separate it from Nertchinsk, the next place of importance on the route. Nertchinsk is on a branch of the Amoor River, and the line follows the river valley thence to the confluence of the Ussuri, which comes from the south and forms the boundary between Russian and Chinese territory; and up the Ussuri Valley, and across the coast range of mountains, to Vladivostock. This, the terminal point, is destined some time to be a place of great importance. It possesses perhaps, the best harbor on the Pacific Ocean, and one of the finest in the world. Its latitude is very nearly the same as that of Marseilles, although its climate resembles that of Chicago or Boston, rather than that of the south of France. The coast of Japan is about a day’s sail away, across a quiet sea; the principal Chinese ports are not far off, to the southward, and San Francisco is about five thousand miles to the eastward. On the land side, Vladivostock is sheltered by a range of mountains covered with dense forests, and said to contain gold, while behind the mountains flows a river which is navigable nearly two thousand miles from the sea. Whether the new railway from Europe would bring passengers from England to India or Australia is doubtful, but it would undoubtedly be preferred as much the quickest- and most comfortable route from any part of Europe to China and Japan. We can hardly realize that with the completion of this great line the earth would be, with the exception of less than five thousand miles on the Pacific, and considerably less than three thousand on the Atlantic, encircled with iron rails, and the journey around the world ought to be easily accomplished by our children in five or six weeks. What the effect will be on the development of Russia, and particularly of Siberia, can only be imagined. From the best accounts, Siberia seems to be a country of great natural resources, inhabited by a manly and active population, which is rapidly increasing; and the future of the world is likely to have a good deal to do with the history of an empire which now approximately equals, in territory and population, the whole of North and South America combined.
W
E learn with great regret of the death of Mr. Herbert C. Burdett, of Buffalo, N. Y., one of the most brilliant and successful of our young architects. Mr. Burdett was, we think, a graduate of Harvard College, and was for a long time in the office of the late H. H. Richardson. He went into business on his own account in Buffalo, as partner with Mr. Marling, and the firm of Marling & Burdett soon obtained a high reputation for clever and original work. Several of the buildings of the firm have been illustrated in our pages. One of the most recent and successful of all is the house of the Calumet Club, on Delaware Avenue, Detroit. Although of a quiet and thoughtful disposition, he was very popular in and out of the profession, and will be greatly regretted, not only in Buffalo, but among architects throughout the country.
THE Pall Mall Gazette tells a good story of the artist Whistler. Not long ago, the Corporation of Glasgow,
which owns a good collection of Dutch pictures, but no modern ones, made up its mind that a few paintings of the present age would be good things to add to its gallery. The news got about that the Corporation was in the market for modern pictures, and a memorial was sent to it signed by Sir John Millias, Mr. Orchardson, and a great many other distinguished artists and amateurs, advising the purchase of Whistler’s portrait of Carlyle, which was for sale at a thousand guineas, — not much over five thousand dollars. The price was acknowledged to be reasonable, but Scotch corporations are quite as business-like as similar bodies in other parts of the world, and a deputation was sent to buy the picture, but, if possible to get a reduction from the price. Mr. Whistler received his visitors politely, and was evidently gratified at the long list of distinguished names signed to the recommendation of his picture, so that he probably bore the haggling of the deputation more placidly than he might have done under different circumstances. The first move of the committee, in accordance with the usual business rules, to affect disappointment at the painting. “ It is not a brilliant picture, ” said one, “it is not highly colored. ” “Am I brilliant? ” replied Mr. Whistler, “or are you highly colored? We are very ordinary looking people. The picture says no more. ” The critic then changed his ground, and inquired if the portrait was life-size; as if he suspected that some material had been fraudulently saved. The artist blandly explained that no portrait was measured life-size, but that the expression meant that the subject was represented as he would look, without diminishing or magnifying. Thus defeated on artistic points, the bargainer resorted to chemical hypothesis. He inquired whether the colors in modern pictures did not fade badly, as compared with those in works by the old masters. It may be doubted whether Mr. Whistler would have made any considerable discount from the price of his picture on this ground, even if the suggestion had been justified, but he replied, with asperity, that “ modern pictures did not fade, and therein was their great damnation. ” The committee could not think of any further objections to the picture, but left the artist with the request that he would take into consideration the necessity for strict economy in corporation expenses, and let them know the next day, when they would call upon him again, whether he could not make a reduction in the price under the circumstances. The next afternoon they appeared again, and inquired whether Mr. Whistler had
thought over the matter of the price of the picture. The artist seems to have been in good spirits, probably at the reflection that his adversaries had not gained much advantage over him so far; and replied gayly, “ Gentlemen, I have thought of nothing since I saw you but of the pleasure of seeing you again; and, now that you are here, let us talk and be happy. ” This greeting disconcerted the committee, who could find nothing in their repertoire of business arguments to oppose to it; and they went home convinced that the picture could not be had for less than the asking price; and, let us hope, that it was well worth it.
THE Wiener Bauindustrie-zeitung says that the largest picture in the world has been found in an ancient Buddhist
temple at Petschaburce, in Siam. The picture, which represents Buddha reclining, is painted on a brick wall which is plastered, lacquered and gilded. The figure is one hundred and forty-five feet long. The arm is seventy-six feet long from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers; and the ear is fourteen feet long, and the other dimensions are in proportion. The eyes are of mother-of-pearl, and the head is covered with natural hair. No one appears to know the age of the picture, but it is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
THE Wiener Bauindustrie-zeitung says that it is now fully determined to complete the great Siberian railway, which
will connect European Russia with Vladivostock, on the Pacific Ocean. It is proposed to make Tiumen, the convict station about which Mr. Kennan has told us so much, the starting point of the Government line, leaving the connection, across the Ural Mountains, between Tiumen and the railway system of European Russia, to be made by a private company, which is ready to undertake the task. From Tiumen the great Siberian line is to follow the River Obi to Tobolsk, which is a flourishing city, and from Tobolsk it will run easterly to Tomsk, and thence to Krasnoyarsk, on the River Yenisei. From Krasnoyarsk it will run southeasterly to Irkutsk, passing close to the Chinese frontier. Here the engineering difficulties begin. After curving around the southern end of Lake Baikal, which, it will be remembered, is about as large as Lake Michigan, the line reaches Verkoi Udinsk, and begins the ascent of the Yablonoi Mountains, which separate it from Nertchinsk, the next place of importance on the route. Nertchinsk is on a branch of the Amoor River, and the line follows the river valley thence to the confluence of the Ussuri, which comes from the south and forms the boundary between Russian and Chinese territory; and up the Ussuri Valley, and across the coast range of mountains, to Vladivostock. This, the terminal point, is destined some time to be a place of great importance. It possesses perhaps, the best harbor on the Pacific Ocean, and one of the finest in the world. Its latitude is very nearly the same as that of Marseilles, although its climate resembles that of Chicago or Boston, rather than that of the south of France. The coast of Japan is about a day’s sail away, across a quiet sea; the principal Chinese ports are not far off, to the southward, and San Francisco is about five thousand miles to the eastward. On the land side, Vladivostock is sheltered by a range of mountains covered with dense forests, and said to contain gold, while behind the mountains flows a river which is navigable nearly two thousand miles from the sea. Whether the new railway from Europe would bring passengers from England to India or Australia is doubtful, but it would undoubtedly be preferred as much the quickest- and most comfortable route from any part of Europe to China and Japan. We can hardly realize that with the completion of this great line the earth would be, with the exception of less than five thousand miles on the Pacific, and considerably less than three thousand on the Atlantic, encircled with iron rails, and the journey around the world ought to be easily accomplished by our children in five or six weeks. What the effect will be on the development of Russia, and particularly of Siberia, can only be imagined. From the best accounts, Siberia seems to be a country of great natural resources, inhabited by a manly and active population, which is rapidly increasing; and the future of the world is likely to have a good deal to do with the history of an empire which now approximately equals, in territory and population, the whole of North and South America combined.