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LEUTZE, EMANUEL. 



from a German Eeformed congregation in New 

 York City, to be their pastor, and soon after 

 the offer of a professorship in the Reformed 

 Theological Seminary at Mercersburg, Pa., 

 but he declined both, and recommended Pro- 



fessor Schaff to the latter. He was called in 

 1848 from Elberfeld to be court preacher to 

 the King of Prussia, at Berlin, and afterward 

 at Potsdam. He was accounted the most elo- 

 quent preacher in Germany. 



LEUTZE, EMANTJEL, a distinguished histori- 

 cal painter, born in Gmtind, Wurtemburg, May 

 24, 1816 ; died in Washington, D. 0., July 18, 

 1868. His parents emigrated to the United 

 States, soon after his birth, and at first settled 

 in Philadelphia, but subsequently removed to 

 Fredericksburg, Va. His youth was passed in 

 the two cities. His early education was good, 

 though not specially in the direction of art. 

 The first development of his possession of ar- 

 tistic talent occurred while attending the sick- 

 bed of his father, when he attempted drawing 

 to occupy the long hours of waiting. This 

 talent was assiduously cultivated, and he soon 

 became skilful and enthusiastic in his profes- 

 sion, and projected a plan for publishing, in 

 "Washington, portraits of eminent American 

 statesmen, in which, however, he met with but 

 slight encouragement. About 1840 he produced 

 his first painting which indicated his ability to 

 be any thing more than a good portrait-painter. 

 His subject was an Indian in the midst of a 

 wild landscape, gazing at the setting sun, and 

 its merits were such as to procure him so many 

 orders, that in 1841 he was enabled to carry 

 into effect a long-cherished purpose of studying 

 his art in Europe. Instead of following the 

 usual course of young American artists, and 

 going to Italy for the study of the works of the 

 old masters, he proceeded at once to Dusseldorf 

 and became one of the pupils of the celebrated 

 Lessing, under whom he made rapid progress. 

 He devoted himself with great assiduity to his- 

 toric subjects, and chose in preference those 

 having a relation to the discovery or history 

 of America. His first noteworthy painting in 

 Europe, " Columbus before the Council of Sala- 

 manca," was purchased by the Dusseldorf Art 

 Union ; and a companion picture, " Columbus 

 in Chains," procured him the gold medal of the 

 Brussels Art Exhibition, and was subsequently 

 purchased by the Art Union in New York. In 

 1843 he studied the works of Cornelius and 

 Kaulbach at Munich, and, while there, finished 

 his " Columbus before the Queen." After the 

 completion of this picture he visited Venice 

 and Rome, making careful studies of Titian and 

 Michael Angelo, and, after a protracted tour in 

 Italy, returned to Dusseldorf in 1845, where he 

 married and made his home. Historical paint- 

 ing continued to be his favorite and almost 

 exclusive department of art, and he adhered, in 

 his execution, to the style of the Dusseldorf 

 school. For fourteen years he continued in 

 Dusseldorf years of assiduous labor, which 



gave him a high measure of reputation. During 

 these years he painted, among other pictures 

 of less note, "Landing of the Norsemen in 

 America;" "Cromwell and his Daughter;" 

 "The Court of Queen Elizabeth;" "Henry 

 VIII. and Anne Boleyn;" "The Iconoclast;" 

 and that remarkable series of pictures illus- 

 trating striking events in the War of the Revo- 

 lution, of which the most important were: 

 " Washington Crossing the Delaware ; " "Wash- 

 ington at Monmouth ; " " Washington at the 

 Battle of Monongahela ; " "News from Lex- 

 ington;" "Sergeant Jasper;" and "Wash- 

 ington at Princeton ; " the " Washington Cross- 

 ing the Delaware" has been engraved, we 

 believe, more than once. In 1859, after eigh- 

 teen years of absence, Mr. Leutze returned to 

 the United States, the country toward which, 

 during all these years, his heart had turned. 

 He opened a studio at first in New York City, 

 where he was soon fully employed, his reputa- 

 tion having long preceded him throughout the 

 country. Early in 1860 he received a commis- 

 sion from the Government for a large mural 

 picture, to be painted on one of the staircases 

 in the capitol at Washington. The subject he 

 chose was, "Westward the Star of Empire 

 takes its way," and the painting was to be exe- 

 cuted in fresco. So earnestly did the artist 

 enter into this work that he not only made the 

 then difficult journey to the base of the Rocky 

 Mountains, for the purpose of local study, but, 

 on his return to the States, again departed for 

 Munich, that he might learn from Kaulbach 

 the mechanism of fresco. The result was ad- 

 mirable. The painting is by much the finest 

 fresco yet executed in the United States, and 

 puts to shame the other tawdry efforts in that 

 line of art in the capitol. Mr. Leutze, while 

 engaged on this painting, made his home in 

 Washington, and remained there after its com- 

 pletion. He had received other commissions 

 from the Government, which were only in the 

 "cartoon" state at his death. One of these 

 (" Civilization "), intended for the Senate-cham- 

 ber, was said to have been most admirable in 

 its conception. He had also made- a sketch 

 in pencil of an historical painting of the lar- 

 gest size, entitled " The Emancipation. " Mr. 

 Leutze was altogether the best-educated artist 

 in America, possessed of vast technical learn- 

 ing, of great genius, and fine powers of con- 

 ception. His weakest point was in his color- 

 ing, but even here he was superior to most 

 others. He was very industrious, and devoted 



