Vassar College
May 5. 1872.
My dear Mamma,
I find my supply of writing paper has become reduced to a few
sheets of Composition paper, and as this is Sunday Eve I must have
recourse to it. Yesterday at six o'clock a.m. nine of us had breakfast
and then went down to the depot, from where we started for New York,
at seven. F rof. Mitchell and some of her friends. Dr. Avery, Mr. Swan
and Prof. Van Ingen went down with us. The three latter, with us students,
went for the purpose, as I have before written you, of seeing the pictures
now on exhibition in New York. Reaching the city at a little after nine
o'clock, we went directly to the Academy of Design, where we remained
looking at the pictures until dinner time. All the pictures there are ori-
ginal In design. Three were six different rooms filled with paintings of
ovary imaginable kind, but among them all the number of really good
pictures was small. One of Frof. Van fogen's paintings "The Mother and
Child" was on exhibition. It Is a very fine cow and calf, well painted and
very natural, and yet not a picture I should desire to have unless possessing
a regular Picture Gallery. Many of the paintings at the Academy, as well
as elsewhere, were not better than some of the girls here make, but then,
here they only copy. There was a lovely head of a young girl at the
Academy, and another picture was very good, an evening home scene. A
young girl Is sitting by the table winding some worsted which her little
brother holds In his hands, her father stands near her looking quite stern
because a young man, whom he apparently does not like, Is being ushered
in. Just at this moment a knot is found in the yam, and the girl gives it
a twitch. All is so natural, and the light on the picture so fine. The gas
by the table throws a reddish yellow light on the figures in the foreground,
just as it really would. Among the statuary we saw a fine bust of Spring.
After the Academy, our party proceeded to a Restaurant and were served
with Dinner, an all Important matter as we were not able to live entirely
upon pictures, although soma quite natural fruit was seen, and some fishes
which looked as If they might be eaten. When our feast was ended we
proceeded to the Aspinwalls t? , Collection. It is In a private house on
Fifth Av. and contains soma very valuable paintings. But I might use up
all my paper, which is intended for essays, In describing the pictures
which we saw. Suffice it to say that we went to very many picture galleries
and saw numberless paintings, but most of them were poor and were such
that I would not have them for a gift. We reached the College at nine in the
evening and found a nice hot supper prepared for us. After it we went
joyfully to bed, being dreadfully tired.
I believe I have not written to you since Founders night, and so
must tell you about it. Mr. Boardman from Philadelphia, gave the address,
then there was music and singing, afterwards, the Collation and promenading.
Dr. Avery had Invited the Swans out and Captain and Mrs. Roberts. So that
I enjoyed myself very much with them. As before. Captain Roberta and
Nannie wished to be remembered to you all. Last Monday of course was a
holiday aad Tuesday was a half-holiday, so that we have lately had a good
deal of rest from study. Wednesday afternoon Fannie Buffington and I
walked Into town aad thereby missed hearing the colored Jubilee singers.
They came out to the College and sang some of their melodies very nicely,
we were told. It seems there darkies belong to a College in Nashville,
Tenn* and left there last October to give a series of Concerts for the
benefit of their College. They have made twenty thousand dollars aad now
will return home. I think of Fapa as now la Cincinnati. It is too bad that
whea he is oaly two days ride from me he caanet come, but buslaess is a
tyrant and must be attended to. I received a letter from Aunt Maria
Robinson, last week. *he wished me to aak you to bring on the daguerro-
type of Grandma Pease which we have at home. She deaires to have some
photographs taken from it, same else as Grandpa's. Here endeth my paper
and so must my letter. Please congratulate Martha for me and tell her I
feel almost slighted because I have not received same wedding cake to
dream over. With love to every body, I am, your loving and absent daughter
Julie.
(Julia M. Pease, '75,