ART AND ARTISTS. 17 



varied flora of Nature, entitle her to a place among 

 successful artists. 



" I would not forget one native artist to the ma- 

 nor born, — Mr. Frederick M. Coffin, now of Au- 

 burn, N. Y. His facile brush is marvellous in its 

 fidelity. Mr. Coffin is intellectual, and of the keenest 

 humor; no wonder ' Fanny Fern,' years ago, employed 

 him to make the designs for her illustrated volumes. It 

 is to be regretted that he ever relinquished the profes- 

 sion of art. 



" I have pleasing thoughts of the famous artist of 

 the old north cliff. I refer to Eastman Johnson, 

 whose studio stands on a breezy hill, almost Italian in 

 its soft summer garniture; our somewhat classic cliff 

 luminous with sunlight; our harbor to the right; the 

 cool bath-houses along the ocean border; the distant 

 fleet of snowy sails; all so dreamy and tremulous, — 

 strangers tell us it is a poem; and so it is. In this 

 queer studio the ' Old Stage-Coach ' and the ' Tramp ' 

 were painted. 



" Very many exquisite morceaux of color and form 

 have been given to the public from the easels of the 

 following amateurs in art-culture. Mr. James Walter 

 Folger, although a professional carver, has of late 

 taken up crayons and done a little in the way of oil 

 painting, succeeding admirably well with the former. 

 His crayon portraits are remarkable in that he suc- 

 ceeds in retaining strong likenesses, and his work in 

 that line shows great promise for the future. His 

 unique combinations of carving and oil painting in one 

 design will in time, perhaps, be recognized as a new 

 departure in art. Mr. Folger's studio is on Union 

 2 



