ON THE
WITH A FEW PEACTICAL HINTS
TO THE
OWNERS OF PICTURES.
BY G. IIOWORTH. ll

SECOND EDITION.

" A picture is a poem without words.''
f
The subscribers beg leave to call the, attention of the public to a
method exclusively their own (and Known or practised by no other) of
restoring paintings, injured by timelaccident or unskilful pretenders.
It comprehends not only cleaning, jarnishing and mending pictures,
but also lining and transferring fro^old canvas to new ; the ability to
perform which operation thoroughly may be inferred from the accom
panying letters and certificates, and |in cases of the worst kind they
do not fail to give entire satisfaction. All persons, therefore, who
have valuable paintings that need the skill of those who really un
derstand their profes.sion, are respectfully invited to vis^it the Gal
lery of the subscribers, where they will be welcome at all times, and
can have ocular proof of the superiority and perfection of the said
process ; more especially are they invited to call before entrusting
valuable paintings to others in whose hands they may be irreparably
injured. N.B. — Orders taken for making and regilding frames. Excellent ¦
paintings by foreign and native artists constantly on hand, and for
sale at reasonable prices.
_. gp:oiige nowoRTii & son,
^ J 1^ J ^ 2G Kueelainl St., Boston, Mass.

It afibrds me the greatest satisfaction in being able at my advanced age to bear
testimony to the superior skill and ability of my adopted Son (Grandson) John Howorth,
his business habits are also of the first order. For the last ten years he has had all the
advantages of my experience in this most difficult, and in the hands of pretenders,
dangerous Art, the proficiency he has acquired is all I could wish. 1 have no hesitation
in declaring that he cannot be surpassed in this or any other country. During my illness
of the past two years, all the work of restoration sent to me, has been done entirely by
him, and in all cases has given the owners of said paintings entire satisfaction. GEO. HOWORTH.

RESTORATION OF OIL PAIj^TINGS.

"There is a temple in ruin stands,
Fashioned by long forgotten hands.
Two or three columns and many a stone.
Marble and granite ^vith grass o'ergrown ;
Out upon Time it will leave no more
Of the things to come than the things before ;
Out upon time, who forever will leave
But enough of the past for the future to grieve
On tliat which hatli been."
Time, says a certain writer, is the subtle, yet the most insa
tiable of depredators, and by appearing to take nothing, is per
mitted to take all. We feel the force of this when we reflect,
that of all the stupendous works of ancient art, so little remain,s
at the present time. We follow the traveller to the site of
Babylon or Nineveh, and the only evidence afforded the eye
that here stood a city whose magnificence outshone any of mod
ern days, through whose gates armies marched to conquest,
that life throbbed in its arteries, and trade filled its marts, is a
heap of dust. Rising from the ruins of Palmyra, Baalbec, and
Thebes, spectres of the past point sadly to prostrate columns
and sliattered capitals, and we, standing in fancy in the dim
hushed temple of Karnak, read by the red glare of torchlin-ht, —
decay. If then the greatest productions of human art must inevitably
perish, we cannot hope for immunity in works of less magnitude.
Statues and paintings, from the care which is usually taken to
preserve them, would seem to be in a measure exempted from
the universal law of decay, but though the hand of time rests
lightly on the sculptured marble, yet it is silently and stealthily
passing over the speaking canvas, robbing the pictured form of
its grace, and tarnishing the cheek of beauty. How little

thought the fair women who sat by the easel of Titian, Rubens,
or Vandyck, that the foe to beauty, which would wreathe threads
of silver in their glossy tresses and steal away the lustre from
their sparkling eyes, would also insidiously seek to efface from
the canvas the reflection of their loveliness, so that we say, on
viewing such a picture. This is the portrait of one who shone at
such a court, and who is said to have been beautiful.
It is a fact too well known to need repetition, that great num
bers of valuable paintings, which have suffered from the effects
of age or accident, are permitted by their owners to remain in
a state of delapidation and decay. One reason for this is found
in the circumstance, that many who possess paintings are not
aware that there are resources in art by which order and
harmony can be evoked from the chaos that is spread over their
canvas. On the other hand, those who believe this can be
accomplished, scruple at entrusting highly prized works of art
to the dubious skill of restorers. It is unquestionably true that
many fine paintings by the old masters have been irretrievably
injured by the efforts of incompetent persons to revive them ; and
although we have evidence that in former times a few genuine
artists have given their attention to restoring, yet latterly the
business seems in a great degree to have fallen into the hands
of quackish pretenders. From an excellent article in the Lon
don Quarterly, on the Manchester Exhibition, the following is
taken :
" What irreparable mischief is inflicted on Art by this so
called restoration! The deep, earnest feeling of the masters of
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the simphcity of their
outline, and the tender brightness of their coloring, are convert
ed into that cold, hard, unmeaning, almost grotesque, manner
ism, which h.i^ rendered the ugliness of works of that period
a by-word. The broad treatment and vigorous touch of the
great masters of the first part of the sixteenth century, the result
of profound knowledge and the utmost command of power,
become weak, off-hand, slap-dash, showing equal carelessness
and ignorance.
"That beautiful harmony of color, those exquisite gradations
of tints, those effects of light and shade, the triumphs of the
Venetian painter, are changed into cold, abrupt transitions, or

into black and heavy shadows unknown to nature and repug
nant to art. And how could it be otherwise, when one who
could scarcely earn his bread by painting the sign posts of way
side inns is put to retrace the tender outlines of Raphael, or to
revive the faded colors of Titian ? Our National Gallery has
not escaped, as it is well known ; and any one may convince
himself of the truth of what we have stated by examining for
himself, even should he have no intimate acquaintance with
painting ; the pictures which it contains, and more especially
those of the earlier masters ******
"It is a melancholy reflection that from the combined efforts
of restoration and of time, there is scarcely one masterpiece of
the ancient masters which we are privileged to look upon as
it was painted, whether with its original purity of outline,
its original intensity of expression or its original harmony of
color." Speaking of the modus operandi it says :
"The late Mr. Calcott used to relate how, on going to Dres
den expressly to see the Madonna de San Sisto, he was disap
pointed at finding it removed from its place in the gallery for
the purpose of being restored.
"He would describe the mingled feelings of indignation, grief
and amazement with which he viewed, when after much diffi
culty he had obtained permission to enter the restoring room,
this immortal work taken from its frame aud even from its
stretcher, lying upon a table and saturated with some liquid,
whilst the restorer was pricking out with a sharp metal instru
ment, what he was pleased to term 'the dirt.' "
Mr. Hilliard in his Six Months in Italy, speaking of "Leonar
do da Vinci's 'Last Supper,' " has the following remarks :
"The picture was not painted in fresco, but in oils, upon a
dry wall. This was the chief cause of its decay, to which, how
ever, the elements, the monks who cut a door through it and,
worst of all, the restorers, have contributed."
Perhaps it may be worth while here to examine some of the
methods by which old paintings are "doctored."
The simplest process consists of a sort of hydropathic treat
ment, by which the picture, after being well scrubbed with soap
suds, is placed in an inclined position and treated to a shower-
bath of pure water. This practice would not seem at first sight
to be very destructive ; but when we consider that many of the
old masters made use of a priming of pipe clay incorporated

with parchment size, the effects likely to ensue from such a
practice are at once evident, and instances are not wanting in
which pictures of great value have been utterly ruined by the
injudicious use of water. Another renovating process consists
in removing the old varnish from the picture by the use of
strong solvents, or by rubbing with pumice stone and water, or
crumbling it off by dry friction ; and as this leaves the picture in
a damaged condition, the only remedy is found in repainting,
which is usually performed in a wretched manner.
The Rev. J. C. Bodwell, of Framingham, ilass., in a letter
to the writer thus graphically describes this mode of treatment :
"They scour and then daub, either leaving a picture with
hideous patches of new paint, or proceeding step by step in the
vain attempt to secure something like uniformity until they
have actually covered up the, last square inch of the original
handiwork. I have seen a splendid .Spagnaletto that had been
treated in this way by a London operator, the very eyes of the
principal figure,on which the effect of the whole mainly depended,
being scumbled and spoiled. A fine painting is in my possession
at the present time, 'Fishermen on the Beach,' the figures wor
thy of old Teneirs, and not improbably his work, of which the
entire sky to the very horizon has been at some time painted
over, masses of rich cumulus being covered up by a miserable
rain-cloud, with no atmosphere at all, and the sun actually shin
ing upon the fishermen and the beach and cliffs from one part
of the heavens, and on the clouds from the exact opposite."
It is a common practice, too, with some restorers to repair
injuries, where the paint has been destroyed, by attempting to
imitate the dingi.ness of the old picture. But the folly of this
is evident, for the color in hardening assumes a different appear
ance from the contiguous parts.
The writer is impelled to these observations on unskilful
restorers from having been often called upon to repair the mis
chief occasioned by them ; and he would take this opportunity
to respectfully submit his theory of restoration, supported as it
is by nearly fifty years of practice, during which he is not aware
of having failed of effecting a perfect restoration iu any case
which lie has undertaken.
The most obvious effect of age on paintings, particularly those

on panel, is apparent in an immense number of fine cracks,
caused by the expansion and contraction of the wood on which
they are painted ; the ultimate effect of which is to cause the
paint to fall off in small fragments. In most cases the injury
can be remedied by the use of proper means ; but where the
picture is much detached from the panel and peeling off, it
becomes necessary to transfer the picture to canvas — an opera-
ration requiring exceedingly careful management, and one never
before attempted in this country, and which the writer flatters
himself he performs with perfect certainty ; in proof of which he
can offer abundant testimony.
The foregoing remarks will apply to paintings on canvas,
which have been injured in the same manner by the tension of
the canvas, or the use of improper varnishes, by being rolled up
the wrong way, or from other causes producing the like effects.
Aside from the effects of smoke, dust and dampness, apparent
to every one, it is commonly supposed that paintings suffer from
decomposition of the colors by solar light. To this vie^v the
writer would take exception, as he is convinced from long obser
vation, that all the colors, with a few exceptions, (red lakes,)
used by good artists, are unchanged by exposure to light, which
is essential to the preservation of paintings. And he would
here venture the remark that more paintings are injured by a
deficiency than an excess of light. One fact that goes to sus
tain this view is, that in old frescoes the colors remain unchanged,
while in oil paintings' of the same age they become obscure.
On the exterior of the Fondaco de Tedeschi at Venice, there
are the remains of frescoes from the pencils of Titian and Gior
gione, which have been exposed to the sunlight for three centu
ries, and which are perishing not by fading out, but by the
destruction of the surface on which they were painted.
It being shown, then, that color on old paintings undergoes no
change, tlie question arises, From whence the obscuration ? To
this the answer is, From the vehicle used in the pigments, which
is oil. In time a portion of this appears on the surface, and
on coming in contact with the atmosphere assumes a yellow
tint ; hence on old paintings the skies appear of a greenish hue,
1*

because the light from the blue color is transmitted through a
yellow medium. This effect may be observed by placing a piece
of yellow tinted glass on the blue sky of a new painting. This
change in the oil will in the course of time completely obscure
the picture, even if it should escape the coarse varnish, under
which so many flne paintings are smothered with the vain hope
of reviving them. Many of the old masters were aware of the
injury that would result from the above cause, and sought a
remedy in the use of absorbent grounds. "¦Claude," for in
stance, painted on pipe clay incorporated with size ; ^'3IuriUo''
on a red earthy ground ; but these means only partially succeed
ed, and we must be content, using a homely expression, to "take
things as they are." And here the inquiry suggests itself, Is
there no method by which the smoke accumulations of ages can
be removed from a picture, and the original colors be made to
appear in all their pristine freshness ? Cannot some process be
devised by which the sky may again appear in its natural blue,
and the earth in its mantle of green ; by which inky cataracts
may be changed into living cascades, and dingy masses of paint
be transformed into fleecy clouds, so that it will not always be
our lot to imagine beauties beneath a coating of dirt, and esti
mate a picture by its money value alone ? This desideratum
the writer claims to possess.
By a process peculiar to himself he is enabled without the use
of powerful solvents, or a resort to the scraper, to remove not
only the accumulation of oil and varnish from a picture, but also
the patches and daubs that have been laid on from time to time
by unskilled hands. By this process the original colors appear
in all their purity, as fresh as when the artist laid them on,
besides having that softness which all paintings acquire by age.
Sometimes from accident portions of a painting are entirely
destroyed, and then it is necessary to supply the deficiency by
painting. As a proof of his skill in this respect the writer c<nn
point to a picture by "Copley" now in possession of Dr. Hnyden
of this city, which had lost one hand. This was restored in such
a manner that when the owner submitted it to the inspection of
an artist, he was unable to detect the restoration. Another case

of the same kind, a portrait of a distinguished lady of this city,
was by an insane domestic cut in pieces, the head divided into
thirteen parts ; this was so skillfully arranged that the artist by
whom it was painted failed to detect the mischief which had
been done, and refused credence thereto until, having made fur
ther inquiries from the lady respecting it, he favored the writer
with the following letter :
Tremont Row, Dec. 27, 1853.
Mr. George Howorth :
Dear Sir, — You may imagine that I was somewhat sur
prised yesterday by a request that I would call at your house
to see one of my own pictures which had been restored by you.
I could not possibly conjecture what picture of mine could need
restoring at this early day. I thought it was making an "old
master" of me rather prematurely.
Upon seeing and examining the picture at your rooms, my
first thought was that if I had known it needed varnishing I
would have done it with pleasure. Judge then of my astonish
ment upon being told that the head since I saw it last had been
in a dozen separate pieces, and that it was now on a new canvas.
I could not help thinking how grateful many artists long since
passed away would feel, could they witness the wonders you
have wrought in restoring their works from the effects of acci
dent and the ravages of time. Very truly yours,
(Signed) T. BALL.
The following account of a curious circumstance, from a
memorandum made at the time, illustrates the efficacy of his
cleaning process :
The writer restored a portrait of a lady in the style of "Hol
bein," for J. B. Bright, Esq., Waltham, Mass. On examination
of the same, he found that many years after it had been taken,
some person pretending to repair it had painted it all over.
Its appearance was that of an old lady in a black dress ; the
same color for the background, consequently the one was
blended or lost in the other. On the left hand corner of the
painting, at the bottom, was represented a table on which was
an hour-glass, and on the face of the portrait many wrinkles
were painted, to give the appearance of extreme old age. On

8
removing the false paint, the figure appeared thirty or forty
years younger ; the background much lighter, the dress a beau
tiful black cut velvet — the table and hour-glass disappeared,
and in their place was a white tombstone, with a cherub on the
top, bearing the following inscription verbatim et literatim :
"Mrs. Honeywoods pictvr with the inscription vpon her
monvment set up in Markeshall chvrch in Essex by her eldest
Son Robert Honeywood .Esq'' — Mary Waters Davghter and
Coheire of Robert Waters of Lenham in Kent Esq' — Wife of
Robert Honeywood of Charinge in Kent Esq^, Her onely Hvs-
band Had att her decease lawfvUy descended from her three
hvndred three score and seven Children IG of her own Bodie
114 Grand Children 228 in the third Generation and 9 in the
Fovrth. She led a most piovs Lyfe and in a Christian manner
Dyed Heere Att Markeshall in the OS'" yeare of her apre and
the 44* of her Widowhoode the 10'" of May Anno Domini
1610. She was bvried at Lenham in Kent the place of her
Birth." It appears from the foregoing that the lady's portrait was
taken about the year 1566-7, in the first or second year of her
widowhood ; that after her decease, her son had her monument
copied into her picture, with the inscription upon it, as a family
record; that after the lapse of fifty or one hundred years it
required repairs, and the man to whom it was intrusted for that
purpose painted it over, and, perhaps recommended the tombstone
to be changed to a table and hour-glass ; he also added wrinkles
to her face, that she might appear as old as at the time of her
decease. The owner exjjressed surprise and satisfaction at the result,
and permits the writer to refer to him. As most of the forego
ing remarks apply to the old masters, perhaps it would be well
to state, before concluding this article, that pictures of the mod
ern school suffer from another cause, the effect of which is set
forth in the article from the Quarterly before referred to.
"The changes which have taken place in Sir Joshua Reynolds'
pictures, owing to the nature of the pigments he employed—
the result of his own experiments willi materials, with the chem
ical properties of which he was not intimatrlv acquainted, — are
well known. The visitor to Manchester will find examples of

some of his most celebrated pictures. Even the works of the
accomplished President of the Royal Academy, who is intimate
ly acquainted with the technical details of oil painting, have not
altogether escaped, as may be seen in his pictures of 'Pilgrims
in sight of Rome,' and 'Christ weeping over Jerusalem.' Mr.
Ruskin has shown how the works of Turner have suffered, and
has stated liis opinion that in a few years, of many of his finest,
scarcely any thing but the general composition will be left.
Wilkie' s pictures, especially his later works, are rapidly falling
to pieces, the pigments coming off in flakes, and leaving broad
gaps and wrinkles ; as for instance, the 'Interior of a Highland
Cottage,' and 'Blind Man's Buff,' at Manchester, and the well
known picture of the 'Blind Fiddler,' in Marlborough House.
Etty's pictures are sharing the same fate; the color is falling off
his 'Cleopatra,' leaving the naked canvas in large patches."
Another instance of the above may be found in the portrait of
Mrs. Siddons, as the "Tragic Muse," by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
a picture which the writer has carefully examined, and which is
now in a ruinous condition at the Dulwich Gallery. The
prime cause of decay in these and similar instances will be
found in the use of meglip, a preparation unknown to the old
painters. The substance in hardening, separates in irregular
squares, leaving channels instead of fine cracks', as in the case
of older pictures, and ultimately ''rolling up like withered
leaves." The properties of meglip offer a great temptation to
the artist who is desirous of immediate effect, but he who makes
use of it pays dearly for a temporary satisfaction by inducing
speedy deterioration of his work. With this new antagonist,
however, the- writer is prepared to cope, and he is frequently
called upon to exercise his art on pictures of this description ;
and in no case has he failed in restoring them to their original
condition. To do justice to the subject of picture restoring,
would require more space than these pages will allow, and
therefore the writer is constrained to take merely a cursory
glance at the subject ; but he will state, that whatever may
seem incomplete in the details of his theory, he will be happy
to illustrate in practice, to those requiring his services. He
would also take this opportunity to remark, that he has been
urged to the publication of this pamphlet by the solicitations, of

10
his numerous patrons, and as proofs of his ability he has many
letters from them, a few of which are appended.

In conclusion, the subscribers would say, that they may
always be found at their residence, where they will be happy
to see those who desire their services, or who wish to examine
specimens of their art.
GEO. HOWORTH & SON,
No. 26 Kneeland Street, Boston.

It affords me the greatest satisfaction in being able at my
advanced age, to bear testimony to the superior skill and ability
of my adopted Son (Grandson) John Howorth, his business
habits also are of the first order. For the last ten years he has
had all the advantages of my experience in this most difficult,
and in the hands of pretenders, dangerous Art, the proficiency
he has acquired is all I could wish. I have no hesitation in
declaring that he cannot be surpassed in this or any other coun
try. During my illness ef the past two years, aU the work of
restoration sent to me, has been done entirely by him, and in
all cases has given the owners of said paintings entire satisfac
tion.
GEO. HOWORTH.
Boston April 20th, 1864.

RE COMMENDATIONS.

Boston Athek^um, April 14, 1864.
The Committee of the Fine Arts of the Athenseum having confided to
Messrs. Howorth several pictures belonging to the Gallery, including the
invaluable portraits of General and Madam Washington, gladly bear testi
mony to the skillful treatment which has restored them to their original
freshness and preserved them by relining from the decay which threatened
tliem in the course of a few years with extinction.
(Signed,) EDWARD N. PERKINS,
Chairman of the F. A.
[The following is from the Superintendent of the AthenEeum, Boston.]
Dear Sir : — The very superior manner in which you have treated the
'Washington and other pictures belonging to the Athenieum, merits the
strongest commendation, and they are no exception to the many other cases
wliich have come under my observation.
Indeed some of your restoration of almost hopelessly decayed pictures
that I have seen, have been truly astonishing.
Respectfully yours,
(Signed,) J. HARVEY YOUNG.
Messes. Georoe Ho'worth & Son.

Legislative Council Chamber, Fbedekicton, loth March, 1859.
The President of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick has been
requested by the House to express to Mr. George Howorth of Boston, their
entire satisfaction at the restoration of the full length portrait of Lord
Sheffield (by Sir Martin Shee) in their possession.
The success which attended Mr. Howorth, in restoring a painting in the
mutilated state iu which this was placed in his hands, reflects, in the
opinion of the House, the highest credit upon him as an artist.
WILLIAM BLACK,
Pres. of the Legislative Council.
Frzderitton, New Brunswick, March 10th, 1859.

12 Boston, August 25th, 1862.
To George Howorth, Esq :
Dear Sir, — When we looked at the fine old painting I had brought
from the Hague, wliich being upon panel, by change of climate, was lie-
ginning to crack, and you concluded that the only way to save it would be
to transfer it from panel to canvas, I feared to do this satisfactorily would
be impossible.
I am now happy to say that what you have done has been a marvellous
and complete success, proving, beyond a question, your extraordinary ability
in this very difficult department. Respectfully yours,
(Signed,) R. C. WATERSTON.
Boston, June )2th, 1862.
Mr. George Howorth :
Dear Sir, — Your success in transferring the Artemisia by Dominichino,
No. 134 of my collection of "Old M.isters," from the original canvas to a
new one, calls for my unqualified praise. Better work of this nature, with
more thorough preservation of the painting itself, I have never seen done
any where in Europe. I may say the same also of your process of trans
ferring pictures from panel to canvas ; a notable example of which lias
been shewn mo by a friend, in a rare and beantifnl specimen of Ghirlandajo
of Florence. Very truly yours, JAMES J. JAEVES.
Boston, April, 1864.
Mr. Howorth has been for the few years past, of constant assistance to
me in the various branches of his profession; lining, cleaning and varnish
ing pictures repeatedly for me, to my entire satisfaction.
His faculty in the mysterious processes of transferring from panel to can
vas, and, also, in restoring old pictures, is surprising.
Added to extreme ingenuity, patience and experience, he possesses the
rare quality of being willing to do as little as is demanded of him, in cases
where any thing more thab mere washing and varnishing would be detri
mental. It is with much pleasure that I express the result of my experience.
WM. M. IIUXT.
PiNEBANK, April 14, 1S64.
Mr. George Ho'wokth :
Sir, — I take pleasure in recording the satisfaction which I feel in receiv- •
ing back the picture of the importunate author by the late G. S. Xewton,
l;. A., so admirably restored to its pristine purity and brilliancy.
By the process of transferring to a new canvas yon have re.'^tored the
surface which was to my eyes hopelessly furrowed liy deep cracks. I beo-
in conclusion to congratulate you and the owners of good pictures in hav
ing a grandson, Mr. J. Howorth, so competent to carry on the profession
which you have so usefully exercised in IBostou for many years.
Your obd't seiTant,
EDWARD N. PERKINS.

To George Howorth, Esq. :

13 Boston, Dec. 11th, 1861.

Dear Sir, — I have received the portrait of the late Rev. Mr. Holly, by
"Stuart" which you have so beautifully cleaned for me. In my travels in
Europe, I examined the different works of restorers of paintings, and have
no hesitation in saying, that you are the only person I have met with
abroad or in Boston, that I would entrust a good painting with to be
restored. Your practice in this city for the last twenty-five years has made you
favorably known. In all cases where 1 have influence I shall cheerfully
recommend you. Yours truly,
M. WIGHT.
I take great pleasure in adding my testimony to that of many others, in
regard to the skill of Mr. Howorth, in the restoration of old paintings.
Within the past few months I have had occasion to test that skill and
with the happiest results.
Among other things, Mr. Howorth has restored for me an Assumption
by Murillo, in a really remarkable manner. When placed in his hands,
the pigments in the lower part of the picture had, owing to neglect and a
sea voyage, quite dropped from the canvas ; and the question was whether
he should leave this portion entirely untouched or attempt to supply, in a
harmonious manner, figures of which there was scarcely a line left. This
matter I left for Mr. Howorth's conscientious determination.
The painting, after having been "transferred," has been returned to me,
and I feel bound to say that while he has with great skill cleansed those parts
which remained of the original, he has, with equal skill supplied portions
which were almost lost, but in such a way as quietly to harmonize without
challenging comparison.
I do not know as a Restorer can lay claim to higher praise.
(Signed,) JOHN W. DANA.
Portland, Me., Feb., 1860. Mayor's Opeice, Citt Hall, Dec. 25, 1855.
Mr. George Howorth :
Dear Sir, — "Stuart's" celebrated painting of Washington (life size),
suspended in Faneuil Hall, confided to your skilful hands for restoration
and repair, and which has been done without changing a single tint or line
of the great artist, has been carefully examined by the committee, and I
am gratified to communicate the fact, that your labors meet their entire
approbation. The portraits of Faneuil, and Samuel Adams, also the prop
erty of the City of Boston, have been put in admirable order. Your ability
in this particular department of art is immensely important in the preser
vation of historical pictures. (Signed,) J. V. C. SMITH, Mayor.
[From the Rev. Leonard Woods, D. J)., and President of the College,
Brunswick, Me.]
Mu. Howorth has done much for us in his line of bu.«iness in the most
satisfactory manner. Persons having paintings to be restored cannot do
better than by placing them in his bands.

14
[The following is from the Right Rev. Bishop Fitzpateick.]
Mr. Howorth is the inventor of a new process of restoring oil paintings
injured by time or other causes. He is really a scientific man, held in the
highest esteem by the citizens of Boston generally, and exceedingly skilful
in his art. Persons having pictures which they wish to be restored, can
safely intrust them to his hands for that purpose.
Chicago, III., March 15, 1858.
Understanding that Mr. George Howorth, of Boston, is about to publish
a pamphlet on the subject of cleaning and restoring oil paintings which
have become obscure from great age, as well as such as have been torn or
injured from accident?, I take pleasure in offering this my testimonial of
his great skill and success in this delicate and difScnlt art.
Since .the year 1848, Mr. Howorth has cleaned and restored as many as
eighty oil paintings for me, some of them the works of the mo»t esteemed
old masters, and he has always given me entire latisfaction. Of this num
ber sixty-three were on canvas, thirteen on panel or wood, and four on
copper. Of the above number he has successfully transferred nine from
panel (on which they were originally painted) to canvas, and has thus
preserved them from threatened loss by the scaling off of the paint fi'om
the original panel, a fate which often will befall old paintings unless thus
checked. Of the number thus transferred, one is a valuable Leonardo da
Vinci, three feet nine inches high by two feet nine inches wide, admirably
well done. Another is a landscape, three feet long by two feet wide. The
others are of various and smaller sizes, all remarkably well done. He has
also, in an equally successful manner, transferred for me, from old and
nearly decayed canvas to a new canvas, a very old and valuable painting
by one of the most esteemed old masters, three feet seven inches long by
two feet seven inches high, by which means it has been preserved from
entire loss. He is now engaged in transferring for me, from old decaying
canvas to new canvas, an original of Titian, from the celebrated Meade
collection, which is six feet six inches long by five feet three inches high.
It was (with many other valuable paintings by the best old masters) pur
chased by Mr. Meade in Spain, during the "War of the Peninsula." I
have every confidence in Mr. Howorth's success in this undertaking. From
some of my oldest oil paintings, which had been painted over perhaps a
century or nearly .ago, for the purpose, no doubt, of restoring them, Mr.
Howorth has, with great skill and success, removed this spurious or second
painting, and then, by his peculiar method of cleaning, he has brought out
in all its original freshness the first painting. I have in my collection a
naval or sea-piece by Simon De VIeiger, which, when I obtained it, was
almost entirely painted over with a different and inferior subject. This
was no doubt done during the Netherland wsirs for the purpose of disparag
ing the picture, to prevcut its being carried away by a conquering enemy,
with the intention of having the spurious paint removed when peace was
restored. This was not, however, done till it fell into my possession; when
in the year 1849, the work of removing the .second or spurious painting
was admirably well performed by Jlr. Howorth, who thus restored in all
its beauty and vigor the original work of De Vloigcr, which had, in fact,
been preserved from the deteriorating effect of time by this outer covering
of paint, which I tliinlc must have remained on it more than a century.
(Signed,) JAMES D. GRAHAM, Colonel U, S. Army.

15 Chicago, III., Nov. 5, 1858.
I have received the great picture— the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, by
Titian. It arrived in perfect order, just as safe as though it had not been
on a journey. _ It has been the delight of my family, and all who have seen
it._ Your achievement in the admirable transfer of this picture, covering
thirty-four square feet of canvas, from the old canvas on which it was
painted more than 300 years ago by Titian, to an entire and new canvas, I
consider the greatest triumph in this art that has ever been achieved in
America, and I can scarcely suppose that it has been surpassed in Europe.
The cleaning of the painting too, is admirably well done, and seems to
have brought out the colors of the great master in all their original fresh
ness. For the manner in which you have performed this work forme, you
have my sincere thanks. (Signed,). JAMES D. GRAHAM, Colonel U. S. Army.
[From the Hon. R. C. Winthrop.] Boston, March, 29, 1858.
I take great pleasure in bearing witness to the skill and fidelity of Mr.
George Howorth iu the line of art to which he has devoted himself. As a
repairer and restorer of old paintings, he is unequalled in this country. He
has done several paintings for me, and I have entire confidence in his
method. (Signed,) R. C. WHSTTHROP.
[The following is from the Hon. Edward Everett.]
Summer Street, 24th May, 1858.
Some years ago Mr. Howorth restored for me, with great success, two
old family portraits, by Copley, which had been much injured by previous
attempts to repair them. I consider him, in his department, a very skilful
artist. (Signed,; EDWARD EVERETT.
[From the Hon. John M. Adams.]
Portland, Me., Feb. 17, 1854.
Mr. George Howorth :
Dear Sir, — The painting, "Diana and Endymion," sent you for resto
ration, is received. You can hardly imagine our surprise and delight to
find that your sJdll has completely restored it, even to the finest touches of the
artist. We feared its beauty was irreparably marred, if not ruined, and its
preservation, even in that condition, for any great length of time, a difficult
matter. This was all the more a matter of regret, as we prize it as much
for its associations — having been presented to Commodore Preble by the
King of Naples, (as a testimonial for his services in the Mediterranean} —
as for its merit as a work of art ; though in this respect I esteem it equal
at least to any which I have seen in this country. For these reasons we
have feared to intrust it to the hands of a restorer, lest it should be wholly
ruined, and have refused to do so until, upon the recommendation of our
mutual friend, Mr. Bracket, we committed it, still not without fears, to
your hands. The result surpasses our highest hopes, and we really feel
under a debt of gratitude to you for your complete success in the very diffi
cult, and, as we supposed, next to impossible undertaking. With manv
thanks and sentiments of high regard,
I am, very truly, yoar obedient servant,
(Signed,) JOHN M. ADAMS.

16
From the Hon. Judge Shaw, Chief Justice, &c., &c.
Boston, 18th Oct., 1858.
I can add little to the weight of authority of those who have already cer-
tiffed to your extraordinary capacity in restoring old and damaged paint
ings. But I may add that in the few instances in which you have been
employed by me, in the restoration, I might almost say, the renovation of
pictures, the skill with which it was done has surpassed my expectations,
and afforded me entire satisfaction.
(Signed,) LEMUEL SHAW.
Washington, Feb. 1, 1858.
Dear Sir, — It is with the greatest pleasure that I comply with your
request, in sending you my testimonial of unqualified confidence in your
talent for restoring injured pictures, either by time or accident. I may add
that I have seen nothing bettter done in this way, in Europe or America.
P. S. — Col. Graham's collection, in Chicago, you have restored charm
ingly, for which we are all grateful to you.
(Signed,) GEO. P. A. HE ALE Y.
After the decease of Joseph Bonaparte, at Bordentown, New Jersey, his
fine collection of paintings was sold by auction at his princely residence at
that place. Mr. Robb, of New Orleans, the well-known banker and en-
courager of the fine arts, purchased fourteen of the most valuable, and
placed them in the hands of Mr. Howorth for restoration. After they were
delivered, the following handsome testimonial was received :
New Orleans, February 2, 1842.
The Battles and Vernets have been received, and you have done me full
justice, and yourself infinite credit.
(Signed,) JAMES ROBB.
Mr. Howorth, a distinguished restorer of old pictures, proposing to visit
Newburyport, I take pleasure in stating, for the advantage of all persons
possessing old pictures, that Mr. Howorth restores them to their pristine
freshness, without injury to the surface or removal of the same ; in fact,
being one of the very best liners and restorers of damaged pictures to he
found in any country.
(Signed,) T. G. APPLETON.
Boston, May 25, 1854.
Mt Dear Sir, — Having witnessed your very extraordinary skill and
success in restoring many paintings for my sou-in-law, Mr. Alexander,
(the artist,) and for other persons, my conviction is complete that, in skill
and ability in your profession, you have never been surpassed by any person
whomsoever. (Signed,) SAMUEL SWETT.

CONTENTS

1st. On the Restoration of Oil Paintings, including two remarkable
cases.
2nd. To the Owners of Oil Paintings.
3iiD. Letters of approbation from the following gentlemen : —
EnwAitn N. Pkhkins, Chairman of the Fine Arts, Boston
Athonajum.
J. Hai{\'ey Young, Superintendent of the Athensenm, Bos
ton.
William Black, President of the Legislative Council,
Fredericton, N. B.
11. C. Waterston, Boston.
^ James J. Jabvks, Boston.
Wm. M. Hunt, Boston.
Edward N. Perkins, Pinebank.
M. Wight, Boston.
John W. Dana, Portland, Maine.
J. V. C. Smith, Ex-Mayor of Boston, (Official).
Rev. Leonard Woods, D.D., and President of the College,
Brunswick, Maine.
Right Reverend Bishop Fitzpatkick.
Col. J. D. Graham, U. S. Army.
Hon. Robert C. Winthrop.
Hon. Edward Everett.
Son. John M. Adams, Portland.
Judge Sha-w, Chief Justice, &c., &c.
(teo. p. a. Hkaley, Artist.
James Robb, Esq., New Orleans.
Thomas G. Appletox, Esq.. Bo.-<ton.
Col. Samuel Swett, Boston.

i. S. SpooNBa, PiiiNTBB, 59 II.tvLn Stbut, Boston.

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