Art Loan Notes

The Ann Arbor Art Loan for the benefit of the Students' Christan Association, far surpasses all expectations. Those who go once are apt to go again, for there are so many beautiful or curious things to see that one cannot see all that is well worth it, in one visit. The pictures on exhibition are surprisingly good, when one considers how short a time was given in which to secure them. The famous "Sheep" by Rosa Bonheur is, of course, the main object of interest amongthem, but the Meissonier "Card-players," "The Ghanet," by Dupre; "The Eternal City" by Fortuny; the "Dutch Interior" of Melchers, and the pictures by Gifford, Hart, Millet and J. G. Brown, are all unusually interesting, besides many others by less well-known artists of great merit. The display of water colors is well hung and has many charming bits of work, which we have not space to mention in detail. But the picture rooms are well worth [the price of admission to the Art Loan, if there were no other interesting things to be seen. There are dolls and idols and idols and dolls. Olaf Peterson shows some fine specimens of wood carving. Nowhere else than the Art Loan can yoü see so much for twenty-five cents. A large and wonderful collection )L thimbles may be seen in the brici-brac room. A perfumea fan which emits deli;ate odors when wafted, is in the oriental room. The de Pont family collection of ewels, daguerreotypes, etc., are ery interesting. The children of the ward schools have a fine display of their work in 3. room up stairs. The God of Medicine is on hand, but he hasn't had much to do, except to be gazed at. The excursions from. Howell, Owosso, Jackson and Detroit promise to be large ones. A valued heirloom, belonging to H. Randall, is a píate which came over in the Mayflower. The lamp from the Catacombs in the bric-a-brac room is the property of Mrs. Dr. Nancrede. A statue of Gutenberg, cast from the iron of th first printing press, s loaned by J. E. Beal. Quite a large number of pipes will interest the smoker. Some of them are very valuable. A heavy pair of old Spanish stirrups, in the bric-a-brac room, were presented to Gen. Henry Baxter. The collections of coins are full and valuable. A number of AngloSaxon and Roman coins are shown. Prof. R. H. Kempf shows a harp owned by a Germán countess in 1600, and C. Mack has a musical chair. Mrs.Gayley Brownexhibits among many other oriental curiosities, a Chinese Bible and two Chinese idols. A brick from the great wall of China is not particularly handsome, but it is a decided curiosity just the same. Mrs. F. H. Barrodaile has a large Mexican and Japanese collection of curios. Among them is a decidedly ugly idol. The Art room alone is ahead of any exhibition hitherto held in Ann Arbor. Many of the paintings are extremely valuable. There are old books without number, old letters from Daniel Webster, George Washington, deeds signedby Andrew Jackson, etc. Mrs. W. H. Wilson, of Jackson, exhibits an immense comb for ladies' hair dressing, which must be all of a foot in length. The ladies who have charge of the refreshment rooms are kept busy evenings. The iefreshment room is very dainty and pretty. A wedding gown of ioo years ago and ancient bed spreads, bedsteads, spinning wheels, foot warmers, etc, depict life in Colonial times. Mrs. Gibbes has some very fine Indian and Chinese curiosities. The views from Delhi, painted on ivory, are very perfect and delicate. A choppingbowl, made in Amsterdam, Holland, three hundred years ago, and a hand-máde copper kettle of 1700, are among the aged relies. An old clock, owned by Miss Brehm, keeps excellent time in the Germán room. It is one of the oldfashioned clocks, nine or ten feet high. A shawl presented by the first Mrs. John Jacob Astor, to an ancestor of Mrs. Henry S. Dean, is among the many curiosities in shawls. George H. Pond, of the Courier, has on exhibition a collection of 200 war envelopes, all union envelopes, with patriotic mottoes or pictures. The oriental draperies afe very elegant. The Chinese portieres were actually hung in the Emperor's palace in Pekin. They belong to Mrs. Angelí. A solid gold snufï box presented by the King of Hanover to the grandfather of Paul G. Suekey is shown in the Germán room. It is elegantly chased and a very valuable heirloom. The first piano which carne west of Detroit, belonging to Mrs. Chas. A. Chapin, is to be seen, as is a fnnny oíd music box. Neither are very musical now, but they are probably much more valuable now than before they lost their musical tones. The Odd Fellows attended the Art Loan in a body last evening. This evening Prof. Stanley, the Amphions, and the Westminster Quartette give a concert. Tomorrow eveningis G. A. R. evening with stereopticon views of Gettysburg. Daniel Webster's chair, now in ;he possession of Mrs. George S. Morris, is a pretty solid structure ind can hold any visitor, no matter ivhat his avoirdupois. There is no danger of more brains sitting in it than when it was in the Mansfield homestead. If our readers have tears they should prepare to shed them when they gaze upon an aged but touching picture of Mrs. AVashington at the tomb of Gen. Washington. When one gazes upon Mrs. Washmgton's face, they do not wonder that the Father of His Country is no longer living. A baby's shoe, made in New Hampshire a hundred years ago, at a time which, as the inscription justlysays, musthavetriedchildren's soles, may be seen in the colonial room, while a pair of wooden shoes for a Holland schoolboy is shown in the bric-a-brac room. There is as much flexibility about one shoe as the other. The G. A. R. room has many many visitors. There, for instance, may be seen a sword wliich cost $2,000, and was presented to Gen. Henry Baxter by his officers. There also may be seen a padlock from Libby prison, threads from the flag on Fort Sumpter first fired on by the Confederacy, flags, shells, canteens, etc, etc. A fine oil portraitof Pres. Fillmore belonging to Mrs. H. W. Rogers, adorns the colonial room. Around it are the handsome sword and epaulets of the president, belonging to his nephew, Alderman Fillmore, of this city. The Alderman also has portraits of the president and his family, and Mrs. Fillmore's silver plate, at the Art Loan. Possibly the oldest exhibit is a pin for outer garments which bears the date of 500 B. C. It was dug up in Jene from the pre-historic fortifications by Prof. Hempl, of the University; and may be seen in the Germán room. Prof. Rolfe exhibits an inscribed Kotylos from Thisbe in Boeotia, the date of which is not later than 360 B. C, There is also an Athenian vase of 350 B. C.