But few of the present generation are aware that the well-known
Brackett family once lived in Unity. Their home was where Chas. S.
Cook now lives. Mr. Reuben Brackett married Elizabeth Starkey of
Vassalboro. Being members of the Friends’ Society, they settled near
that church. That Mr. Brackett was esteemed and acknowledged a leader
among his friends, is corroborated by the fact that there are those
still living who remember hearing their parents quote him as authority
on matters under discussion.
Besides the work on his farm, he manufactured clocks and oilcloth
carpets, and was the first man in the United States to use rubber on
fabrics. He had a family of four sons and one daughter. Edward Augustus
was chairman of the Fish Commission of Massachusetts for thirty-five
years. Col. Gustavus B. was colonel of an Iowa regiment during the
Civil War and head of the Pomological Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C., for fifteen years. Walter M. is the greatest painter
of fish in America. When you visit the House of Representatives in
Boston and look at the historic codfish hanging in their hall, remember
that the finishing touches upon it show the skill of Walter M. Brackett.
I have visited Mr. Brackett several times in his studio. He is now over
ninety years old, but he does not look it, and is, he says, perfectly
well. He gives one a cordial greeting, which seems to come from his
heart. A man of sterling character, strong in his friendships, he
attracts to him many friends. That my readers may know the estimation
in which he is held by those who have known him many years, I give a
letter written by Edgar Aldrich, judge of the United States Court of
Appeals, which he gave me permission to use:
JUDGE ALDRICH’S LETTER
_United States Courts_
_Boston_
BOSTON, April 21, 1913.
Mr. Frederick H. Mills,
Secretary of the Boston Art Club,
Boston, Massachusetts.
_Dear Mr. Mills_:
My heart is broken because I find myself obliged to go away, and
because I cannot be present at the complimentary dinner to be given by
the Boston Art Club to Walter Brackett, in celebration and in honor of
his coming 90th birthday. A complimentary dinner to a man of ninety
“whom time in passing has forgotten to make old”--a complimentary
dinner to a man who has painted “to immortality”--is something which
ought not to be missed. But, alas! alas!
Mr. Brackett is one of those rare men whose lot it has been to touch
manifold things, and sweetly to adorn everything he has touched:
the course of his life stretches across a broad field of social and
industrial development and change, yet through it all he has scattered
only sunshine and sweet flavor. His life has been full of helpful good
cheer, happy generosities, and glorious optimisms.
Whether beneficent graces are born with the man, or whether they
are acquired, Walter Brackett has used them most graciously, and
while helping himself to a happier life, he has spread their sunny
influence upon all who have been fortunate enough to know him, and have
companionship with him.
While he has toiled with the brush, his inspiration, his impulse, his
genius, and his skilful touch have given life and energy to canvas.
He has made the beauties that grace the seas, the world’s forest
streams, and its silvery lakes, grace and adorn the homes, and entrance
the lives of admiring men, women and children.
Still, because truth must be told, it must be said that Walter
Brackett’s salmon sometimes disturb the poise of those who look upon
them. They are so full of life and energy that admiration is often
startled by the sudden fear that they may dart away to their natural
haunts, and find a hiding place under the shelving rocks of some deep,
dark pool of the rushing mountain waters.
While we admire Walter Brackett’s creations, in the field of art,
for their richness and beauty, we admire the man the more for the
richness, the simplicity, and the beauty of his life. Whether he talks
to you of the closer and sweeter companionships of life--the acme of
art--the sports of the woods, the streams, and the seas--the reposeful
life of the camp, in the forests, under the starlit blue skies of the
north--the magic spell of the wondrous eloquence of Ingersoll--the
strangeness, and the mysteries, of the caprices of Rufus Choate, or
of Edwin Booth--or of Webster and his cavernous eyes, and his stately
walk as he appeared upon the streets of Boston--he is ever a man of
fascinating interest.
He is happy and safe in his ninety years; and he has made this world
better by living in it. He will brighten the broader sphere when he
enters there, yet may his years here be many and happy.
With affection and esteem for Mr. Brackett, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
EDGAR ALDRICH.