Oregonian, Dec 11, 1925, page 11 - Portland Library, OR
PAINTING TO BE BOUGHT - PIONEERS EXPECT TO OWN GEGOUX'S WORK
Purchase price of picture will be $5000, of which $1000 has been
subscribed. One thousand dollars has already been subscribed
toward the purchase of the oil painting by Theodore Gegoux, "The
Inception of the Birth of Oregon," it was announced yesterday
by David S. Stearns, past president of the Pioneer association,
who is treasurer of the fund. It is proposed to raise the sum
of $5000 as the purchase price of the picture, which is 8 feet
high by 12 wide and depicts the memorable incident at Champoeg
when the pioneers adopted a representative form of government.
This sum will in addition cover the purchase price of portraits
of 29 mayors of Portland. The painting was placed in one of the
windows of the J. K. Gill company's store yesterday noon and will
remain there during the progress of the campaign for funds, it
was announced. The Oregon Pioneer association has taken the lead
in the plan to purchase the picture and also paintings of 29 of
the mayors of Portland. The committee in charge of the movement
is made up of members of the Pioneer association and includes
the following: Bruce Wolverton, president: Mrs. Mary Barlow
Wilkins, vice-president: George H. Himes, secretary: David S.
Stearns, John W. Baker, M.C. Gearge, Joseph D. Lee, Portland:
C. H. Canfield, Oregon City: J. O. Stearns, Charles T. Dickinson
and John M. Crawford. It was announced that Mrs. V. C. Northrup
and Mr. Wolverton have been authorized to receive subscriptions
and turn them over to the treasurer of the fund. Outstanding
subscriptions received to date, it was announced by Mr. Stearns,
include the following: Henrietta E. Failing, $350: Joseph Simon,
$100: D. P. Thompson company, $100, and G. F. Russell, $100.
There are also a large number of smaller subscriptions. Theodore
Gegoux, the artist who painted the famous painting which was for
a number of years on exhibition at Champoeg, is now in bad health
and has gone to Los Angeles.