On August 28, 1881, The Cincinnati Enquirer published a list of portrait painters, a list to which Farny was added despite his effort to decline the offer (perhaps not wanting to be defined as a portrait artist?). In its description of Farny, the Enquirer argued that the walls of Farny’s studio were evidence of his ability as a portrait artist and that it was just another example of his genius in art, a genius that extended into any medium he wished to pursue, from “working in metal, to decorating pottery, to illustrating some of our best magazines, to conceiving beautiful groups or transferring lovely landscapes, in every department success …”
The article concluded that the best evidence for Farny’s success as a portrait painter was the fact that Mr. Edgar M. Johnson, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant-Governor (a race he lost), had convinced Farny to paint a life-size portrait of his wife. Unfortunately I could not discover Edgar’s wife’s name nor could I determine if this portrait was ever completed.
