Art and Handcraft in the Woman's Building
of the World's Columbian Exposition

32 ART AND HANDICRAFT conception of Modern Woman. Mrs. MacMonnies’ subject is well chosen, and ably treated. On the extreme right we have a single male figure, a hunter clad in skins—he has just returned from the chase. A group of women and children bear away the game he has killed and minister to his wants. A kneeling girl crushes a bunch of grapes into a cup to refresh the tawny giant. In the middle grouping we have woman, the bearer of burdens, typified by a band of girls carrying water-jars. In the foreground a maiden bathes a laughing child in a clear stream, while a mother advances toward tlie water bearing two children in her arms. On the extreme left we see the sturdy daughters of the plow driving a yoke of milk-white oxen. A band of sowers scatters the grain in the new-made furrows, while one tired girl, kneeling in the fore- ground, drinks from a vase. The background of trees and water and distant land is excellently treated. The dark figures of two horsemen are to be seen at the extreme right. Mrs. MacMonnies’ work is of a high order; it shows a true decorative sense, a sure liand, and a fresh, joyous imagination. Artistically and intellect- ually it is a composition which, commends itself to all those who understand and honor the idea for which our building stands. The central portion of Miss Cassatt’s panel shows us a group of young women gathering apples in a pleasant orchard. On the right is a band of ladies variously engaged. One is playing upon a stringed instrument, while another poses in one of the attitudes of the modern skirt-dance. On the left we have Fame, a flying figure, pursued by a flock of ducks and women. The border of the tympanum is very charming; the children quite beautifully painted. Both Mrs. MacMonnies and Miss Cassatt received orders for their work from the Executive Board of the Woman’s Building. The two decorations were executed in Paris and sent to Chicago. Four large decorative panels enrich the sides of the hall. New England’s contribution to the decoration of the Woman’s Building is shown in one of these large panels, which illustrates the duties and avocations of the Pilgrim Mothers and Daughters. The painter, Miss Lucia Fairchild of Boston, a young artist of great promise, has chosen for her subject a group of women engaged in domestic labor. In. the foreground a kneeling girl is washing dishes in a pool of still water; one of her sisters stands beside her drying a pewter basin. On the left, under the porch of a humble cottage, a mother stands holding an infant in her arms. A girl sits by her spinning-wheel, whose threads have become entangled. One young matron holds a distaff, while a girl beside her is stitching