relationship existing' between the 
ancient oriental and modern art mas¬ 
terpieces can now be verified. He 
demonstrated his discovery bV selec¬ 
tions from the works of Winslow 
Homer, John Singer Sargent, J, Gari 
Melchers, Thomas Wilmer Dewing', 
Joseph Linden Smith, Childe Hassam, 
tbbot Handerson Thayer, Dwight 
William Tryon, John Henry Twatch- 
nan and James McNeill Whistler. 
Seven galleries are required to ex¬ 
hibit these examples. 
With all obeisance to ten of these 
artists, the thrill of the gallery is 
the Whistler collection. Mr. Freer 
was the first American collector to 
begin to gather the works of this 
famous artist. 
His 1,200 Whistler specimens require 
three Jarge galleries, besides special and 
separate space for the world-wide fa¬ 
mous peacock room. 
When this famous peacock room was 
thrown on the market Mr. Freer was the 
ready and quick purchaser. The entire 
contents, inside woodwork and decora¬ 
tions were transported to his home in 
Detroit and reconstructed precisely as 
they stood in the Leland House in Lon¬ 
don, and the entire contents are again 
reconstructed in the gallery exactly as 
they stood in the annex Mr. Freer built 
especially for them in Detroit. 
* * * * 
HPHE history of this room really be¬ 
gins with the rose and silver pic¬ 
ture—“La Princess du Pays de la Por- 
celaine.” It was Rosetti who suggested 
to Whistler that Christine Spar tali, 
afterward Countess de Cohen, and sis¬ 
ter of his model, Mrs. Stillman, better 
known as Marie Spartali, would be the 
exact model for his proposed princess. 
It was also Rosetti who negotiated the 
sale of the picture to a collector, from 
whom it was purchased by Frederick R. 
Leland for 420 guineas. A year after 
Whistler's death Mr. Freer paid 5,000 
guineas for the lovely princess. Dressed 
as she is in a Madame Butterfly’s 
clothes, she is far from looking the part 
of the Madame Butterfly of opera fame. 
Only her beautiful “clothes” and the 
setting are Japanese. The entire color 
scheme and setting were inspired by a 
Japanese screen and robe in Whistler’s 
possession—and with these gorgeous 
“properties” and the pretty Greek girl 
he made an arresting and unforgettable 
picture. 
When Mr. Leland bought the house in 
Princes Gate he made many radical 
alterations in its construction and deco¬ 
rations. The dining room was made 
over oyer according to the taste of a Mr. 
Jeckyll—and the princess was to be the 
glory and pride of the room. When 
! Whistler, who had designed the side¬ 
board, saw the result he convinced Mr. 
j Leland of its monstrous incongruity and 
inconsistency and offered to undo 
| Jeckyll’s work and make a setting him- 
' self worthy of the princess. 
Poor Jeckyll, overcome by aisap- 
pointment and humiliation, lost his 
mind and died in a madhouse. Mr. 
Leland retired and Whistler had full 
sway He openly declared that he 
was going to cover up the Spanish 
leather and make the one perfect 
mural decoration of modern times. He 
held daily receptions. Acquaintances 
and worshiping admirers came to see 
his dream unfold. 
Working out his amazing scheme 
born of his amazing brain, in order 
to preserve the continuous theme¬ 
lines he closed the shutters and swept 
1 across them at white heat spee,d. On 
the middle shutter he painted two 
peacocks with their feathers flying 
.toward the top, and one peacock on 
each of the two flanking shutters. 
All the work was well advanced and 
he was about to undertake the deco¬ 
ration of the wall opposite the man¬ 
tel and the princess, when he sent 
Mr. Leland a bill which doubled the 
amount originally agreed upon for 
his work. Mr. Leland refused to pay 
the account as rendered, but sent 
Whistler £1,000 instead of the 2,000 
guineas he had demanded. 
* * * * 
wyHISTLER liked jam on his bread, 
but he was artist first. He 
asked to be permitted to finish the 
room. His request was granted and 
his revenge was the two frenzied 
peacocks, one with feathers splaying 
I perpendicularly, clutching at a pile 
of gold coin, head stretched to the 
utmost height and glaring at the 
other, whose feathers sweep horizon¬ 
tally, with head as high, glaring back 
in righteous indignation and defiance. 
The witty, waspy Whistler gave them 
symbolic names, “Art” and “Money,” 
which will forever cling to them. 
There will always be great argu¬ 
ment as to which of Whistler's works 
—or which one of his mediums—will 
perpetuate his fame. 
Standards are but condensed 
opinions, and time brings about re¬ 
versals, but it will always be con¬ 
ceded that Whistler was the great¬ 
est master of his time. 
The new Freer Art Gallery is his 
shrine in America. Thousands and 
thousands will make the pilgrimage 
and stand without sandals in the 
presence of his works merely to 
feast their eyes. 
Those who know Whistler only as 
the painter of "The Mother,” as 
familiar as Michaelangelo’s “Holy 
Family,” will now have', without 
money and without price,” the op¬ 
portunity/and privilege of widening 
their knowledge of the art of this 
versatile master. 
The new Freer Art Gallery is not 
only Whistler’s shrine; it is a monu¬ 
ment to the memory of a great and 
discriminating collector and bene¬ 
factor whose passion was not pos¬ 
session, but pursuit and discovery, 
and the satisfaction of passing de¬ 
light and instruction on to others toi 
I whom fortune is less kind. 
