60 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[ Febkuart, 
[COPYEIGHT SEOURED.] 
Painted by Rosa Roniieue. —Engravedfor the American Agriculturist. 
We liave ?iad the pleasure repeatedly of pre¬ 
senting our readers witli engravings of animals 
from the chaste pencil of that really wonderful 
woman, Rosa Bonheur, whose success as an 
animal painter is so remarkable. Tlus*is due 
altogether to her faithful study of nature, and 
great familiarity with the animals which she 
paints. Her studio is said to be located almost 
in the very midst of her animals, a number 
of which she maintains in luxurious idjeness for 
the pui-pose of getting “studies” of them in all 
their different attitudes and positions. There is 
soniething so young and green, and playful and 
butty’ in that calf’s head, that we enjoy look¬ 
ing at it, now, as much as we did when we first 
saw the iiicture, although there is something 
painful to'be obliged to repress the desire to rub 
The fellow behind the horns and scratch its soft 
ears. Mademoiselle Rosa’s history is somewhat 
remarkable, showing that distinction comes al¬ 
most surely from faithfully following out natural 
inclinations. Her father was a painter. Rosa was 
a poor scholar and very sensitive, and so was 
t^ken fiom school and allowed to draw and 
paint. She was so fond of animals that she 
could not be prevented attending markets and 
fairs, and making her studies at butchers’ stalls, 
and most likely at the abbatoirs, too. So soon 
she became distinguished for her freedom from 
conventionality—or imitation of other artists— 
and for her bold, life-like delineations of animals. 
We need in this country artists of high char¬ 
acter and integrity, Avho- shall give to the study 
of our domestic animals the same careful labor. 
Several who might distinguish themselves with 
comparatively little trouble, are so taken up with 
painting scenes from the war, or with other sub¬ 
jects for which there is great demand, that cattle 
and sheep are neglected; or if studied, the lean 
kine and the dung-smeared, the scabby, tag-rag 
sheep at the end of a hard winter, and starey, 
half starved calves are taken as fit models. Pic¬ 
tures of such will sell to city gentlemen of fortune, 
who hardly know how an animal should look, 
or who remember the cattle on the run-down 
ftirm of their boyhood, which they left in disgust 
at 16; but tliey will pot be bought by anybody 
in whose breast emotions of pity and indigna¬ 
tion are excited at the sight, and they will spoil 
the sale, to such people, of the fine pictures in 
Avhich they are introduced. We need true ar¬ 
tists who Avill study well the points of fine ani¬ 
mals, and portray them. The great beauty of 
well bred stock with requisite skill can be placed 
upon the canvas and upon the engraver’s block. 
•---- 
Violets Ifew and Old. 
A bunch of Violets on Christmas day ! how 
beautiful they are, and then, how they fill the 
room witli an odor, more grateful than any in¬ 
cense that Avill be burned in celebrating the 
holiday. What a pity it seems, that our native 
violets—or at least the showy ones—have no 
odor. For the violet of poetry we have to go 
across the water, and right beautiful things do 
we receive. The name given to the European, 
species, Vi-ola oclorata, is strikingly appropriate, 
for no flower excels it in the abundance, and at 
the same time the delicacy, of its perfume. A 
single little flower will manifest its presence to 
the senses, while a handful of them do not give 
