Mr. T. Jones Barker, the artist well known. by previous
works of a national or memorial character, has produced a picture of the Allied Generals, with their Staffs, before Sebastopol, which is, for an English- man, immense, and would be large even for a Frenchman. It is de- cidedly Mr. Barker's chef d'ceuvre ; the ground and the large masses of figures well laid out, the personages cleverly grouped and distributed, and a general air of ease, and of motion or mobile rest, pervading the whole. The portraits, amounting to seventy in number, have been painted either from sittings given to Mr. Barker himself, or from sketches done on the spot, or photographs taken expressly for the purpose; and , the likenesses generally appear to be as good as we know some of them to be. The execution is throughout somewhat slight, and the tone veiled ; but the artist has practice and decision. A comparatively early period of the siege is indicated by the presence of General Canrobert and Lord Raglan as commanders in chief, as also of Prince Napoleon and the Duke of Cambridge. Omar Pasha, General Della Marmots, and Miss Nightingale, are on the ground as well, with most of the men whose names occur to the memory in connexion with the campaign, save St. Arnaud and General Cathcart; and perhaps the artist has taken a not illegitimate licence with the dates in some instances. The scene is varied by the introduction of such groups as French and English soldiers fra- ternizing, and a wounded Highlander tended by a Vivandiere and some Zouaves.
The picture has been on view this week at No. 168 Old Bond Street ; and it is in (verse of engraving by Mr. C. G. Lewis.