Most U. S. citizens think of Edgar Allan Poe as a morose genius who wrote horrible stories magnificently and died of drink. Many remember that he was one. of New York's most dogmatic literary critics, that he helped invent the detective story. A few know that he was a soldier for three years, for three months a West
Point cadet. Three small pencil portraits in battered gilt frames arrived in New York last week to remind people that Edgar Allan Poe was also an artist and a draughtsman.
The portraits arrived in custody of astute Gabriel Wells, who vies for newspaper space with Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach as premier U. S. rare-book seller. One was a self-portrait, one was of Mrs. Sarah E. Shelton, traditionally Poe's inspiration for "Annabel Lee." The third was of his tragic child-wife, Virginia Clemm, who died in a garret of misery and malnutrition, with a purring cat on her stomach to keep her warm. All three were signed, but Poe who wrote with the careful legible hand of a pre-typewriter newspaper man, had one of the easiest signatures to forge. Careful Bookman Wells took his pictures to the leading Poe authority in the U. S., Dr. Thomas O. Mabbott of Hunter College. Dr. Mab-bott was enthusiastic, authenticated the signatures, referred to a landscape by Poe in the Poe cottage at Richmond, quoted a letter from Poe to his mother to prove the existence of the picture of Sarah Elmira Shelton:
"I told Elmira when I first came here, that I had one of the pencil-sketches of her that I took a long while ago in Richmond; and I told her that I would write to you about it."
Said Dr. Mabbott:
"The self portrait of Poe is in one way the greatest find of all. the date is probably late 1845. It not only represents him in his prime, but the self portrait is probably the most satisfactory picture we have of him at this period. In this he has given us with surprising skill for an amateur what the author of 'The Raven' thought he looked like. . . .
"But the picture one rejoices most in peeing is the lovely head of Virginia
Clemm Poe. It is said that the only other picture that is accessible was made after her death. But here we have her as her husband saw her—a most romantic and tragic lady, the poet's best love."
Bookseller Wells explained last week that the three sketches had been given by Poe to Henry O'Reilly, a well-to-do Irish American journalist who often entertained morose Edgar at his Washington Heights home. They remained in the O'Reilly family until a few weeks ago when Mr. WTells discovered them in Italy.
Syndicate
Jacques La Grange, British subject of French parentage, who has lived in the U. S. since 1916, gave an exhibition last week at Manhattan's Babcock Galleries. The paintings, of ships, of skyscrapers, occasionally of ships and skyscrapers were technically inept, showed an excellent color sense. Critics compared them to the oilpaint fumblings of Colyumist Heywood Broun last week on view and for sale at the Weyhe Galleries, called them promising, uninteresting. Much more interesting was Painter La Grange's method of disposing of his pictures.