IN the summer of 1919, a few weeks before leaving America, I made a hasty trip to Oyster Bay, the once favourite residence of Colonel Roosevelt, to select among the names of a number of men who had become prominent during the war one whom I would be willing to paint for a national portrait gallery.
Several names were mentioned, but when that of "Colonel" House came up, I said, "That will do; I would rather paint him than any man in the country, not excepting the President." As the Colonel was then in Europe, as envoy plenipotentiary to the Peace Congress, and as I expected to be in London and Paris within a few weeks, a letter was sent to him asking him to grant me sittings.
I had not been in London more than three days before a cable message from New York arrived telling me to go to Paris at once, where the sittings had been arranged. Before leaving London a lady, who seemed to know Colonel House, told me I should not like him. For some reason, known only to herself, she made a statement which in the sequel proved to be peculiarly misjudged, for I have rarely met anyone I have liked more.
I must confess that one of my reasons for selecting Colonel House to paint was due to a feeling of curiosity to know him, and, if possible, to discover the secret of his apparent power over President Wilson.
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