acquired -- and now exhibited -- by the prestigious Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, has a strong Bermuda connection.

`To Observe and Imagine', which opened to rave reviews by New York critics, is sponsored by Fay Elliott who, along with her husband Geoffrey, are also generous supporters of the arts in their adopted Bermuda.

Mrs. Elliott, who sits on the exhibitions committee of the Bermuda National Gallery, says that the New York show is unique in that "99 percent'' of the works on show come from the Library's own collection. Some of the more than 140 pieces include works by such British giants as William Blake, Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Constable, Turner, Romney and the pre-Raphaelites Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

"Many of these have never been seen before,'' explains Mrs. Elliott, singling out such treasures as Hogarth's red chalk depictions of `Gin Street' and companion piece of `Beer Street'. "I'm a pushover for Hogarth and there are some wonderful examples of his work there. His original drawings which are on show at the Morgan were created to be sold as prints and, of course, became very famous.'' Ranging from 1600 to 1900, and selected from the Morgan Library's impressive collection of over 700 British drawings, there is also a fine collection of work by Turner and Blake's series of drawings for the Book of Job, two of Milton's poetic works and, perhaps, most interesting of all, the Pickering Manuscript -- the only surviving copy of the 18th century giant's poems.

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, who came to Bermuda some eight years ago, acquired the Thomas Driver and HMS Vindictive collections of 19th century historic watercolours which are deposited with the Bermuda Government archives for safekeeping for the benefit of Bermuda. These works formed the core of the Bermuda National Gallery's exhibition `Through British Eyes', staged at the Morgan Library in 1996.

`To Observe and Imagine: British Drawings and Watercolour, 1600-1900', continues at the Pierpont Morgan Library on East 36th Street, New York through May 3.

PIERPONT'S LADY -- Thomas Gainsborough's `Study of a Lady' forms part of the latest exhibition of British Drawings and Watercolours (1600-1900) at The Pierpont Morgan in New York.