SAMUEL FINLEY BEEESE MORSE. 215 



New Haven, Ct., Finley also moved thither. Here 

 he found delight in renewing his studies of 

 galvanism and electricity under Professor Silli- 

 man. 



Tiring of portraits, and longing for preeminence 

 in art, he conceived the idea of a historical piece, 

 the " House of Kepresentatives," with eighty por- 

 traits of individual members. For this purpose he 

 went to Washington, and began his work in ear- 

 nest. He writes to his young wife : "I am up at 

 daylight, have my breakfast and prayers over, and 

 commence the labors of the day long before the 

 workmen are called to work on the Capitol by the 

 bell. This I continue unremittingly till one 

 o'clock, when I dine in about fifteen minutes, and 

 then pursue my labors until tea, which scarcely 

 interrupts me, as I often have my cup of tea in 

 one hand and pencil in the other. Between ten 

 and eleven o'clock I retire to rest. This has been 

 my course every day (Sundays, of course, excepted) 

 since I have been here, making about fourteen 

 hours study out of the twenty-four. This, you 

 will say, is too hard, and that 1 shall injure my 

 health. I can say that I never enjoyed better 

 health, and my body, by the simple fare I live on, 

 is disciplined to this course. ... I have had a 

 great deal of difficulty with the perspective of my 

 picture. But I have conquered, and have accom- 

 plished my purpose. After having drawn in the 

 greater part three times, I have as many times 

 rubbed it all out again. I have been, several 



