ANOTHER ART EXHIBITION IN AID OF LANCASHIRE. A COLLECTION of
works by amateurs is always full of interest and attraction, and the Suffolk-street Exhibition for the benefit of the distress in the cotton districts is by no means an exception to the rule. Although, as a matter of course, below the" German Gallery" collection in point of actual artistic merit, there is, we think, quite as much interest attaching to Suffolk street as to its more professional neighbour in Bond street. It is curious to observe, among the works contributed many by names as "familiar as household words" to our ears in some connection or other, far differing from art. Among others, we find, on running our eye down the catalogue, such names as Lord Hardinge, Major Gresly, Henry Kingsley, Sir A. Macdonald, John Ruskin, the Dean of Canterbury, Major-General Lewis, and the Countess Grey. Well- known names among lovers of art, too, such as Pilleau, Hopley White, Bodichon, and Roget, and here and there the professional R.A. are discovered in the midst of a crowd of titled amateurs in friendly rivalry.
The sweetest bit of flower-painting in the world, by Miss Mutrie, " Rose and Geranium" (No. 682), is here, prominent among the pictures of still life, filling the room, even in these black, chilly days, with the rich fragrance of its perfume ; and Miss Lane also contributes many capitally executed studies from the conservatory and the garden.
Mrs. Enfield's " Bonchurch, Isle of Wight" (No. 156), is re- inarkable for airy sunlight effect, and for its correct tone and sentiment. Mrs. Lawes (159) sends a careful, pleasant drawing of " Kilchurn Castle" (159), which might readily be mistaken at first glance for a George Fripp. Mrs. Higfrod Burr's Eastern sketches are full of power, and very accurate in colour and arrange- ment of light and shade ; her" Bazaar, Cairo" (177), is, perhaps, the best of them all. Miss Carey's Guernsey sketch, too (No. 238), is capital, though, perhaps, a little of the weakest in colour and tone. Mr. Roget (always clever and attractive, but better, we venture to think, when he gives charactarture the go by) has a charming little drawing here called "Rest," a subject given, we believe, as the motto for the evening at some sketching club ; and Mr. Brabazon's sketch from Velasquez (190) is really admir- able in every particular. Mr. Arthur Severn has evidently great talent, and is well represented here by several capital drawings ; while a Mrs. Roberts sends a drawing, to which we cannot easily assign greater praise than by saying that for some moments we took it to be a William Hunt. She calls it "Ready to be off" (430). We need not say anything on the subject of the professional in- gredient in this exhibition, beyond mentioning the names of Stanfield, Mulready, Cope, Horsley, and others, as among the number ; nor need we do more than pass over in silence the "Illuminated Holy Families" and the coloured photographs, which will be found on the walls.
We strongly advise all who can to avail themselves of this opportunity of seeing works by hands accustomed, in many instances, rather to grasp the sword or to handle the pen than to the use of the pencil and the palette ; and we would impress this the more strongly on our readers, as we believe the collection is not likely to remain open to the public here for more than a short season.
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