“the Houdon Statue, its history and value,” is the title of a pamphlet by Sherwin McRae, Esq., which was published by order of the Senate of Virginia, and for a copy of which we are indebted to Col. James McDonald, Secretary of the Commonwealth. The author discusses, ably and exhaustively, “Washington — his person as represented by the artists;” gives a full history of the Houdon Statue, and shows beyond all reasonable doubt that not Stuart's portrait, nor any one of the many other pictures taken of him, but Houdon's Statue is the true likeness of Washington; and that when Lafayette said, after seeing this noble work of art, that it was “A fac-simile of Washington's person,” he but expressed the conviction of all who were familiar with the great original.
Virginia is indeed fortunate in having in her State Capitol this splendid work of art, which is, at the same time, a fac-simile of the person of her illustrious son who led to a successful issue the first Great Rebellion; and [160] we should see to it that Yankee enterprise is not permitted to palm off some other picture as the true likeness of the “Father of his country.”
The genius of our talented artist (Valentine) has produced busts which are exact copies of the Houdon Statue, and we should rejoice to see these scattered widely through the land.
And now we want a fac-simile (not an ideal) of our second Washington — the chieftain of the second “Great Rebellion” --the immortal Lee, who, while not successful, will be written down in history as deserving success, and will live forever in the hearts of all true lovers of liberty. We have this fac — simile in Valentine's splendid recumbent figure at Lexington, and hope to have it also when the Lee monument association shall have completed their work, and placed their equestrian statue at Richmond.
