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

WOMEN ILLUSTRATORS. CONTRASTING the Columbian Exposition with our Centen- nial, the thoughtful observer is impressed with the great advance in art sentiment, in all phases of its expression, since that time. omen have not been left behind in the march of events, and that their advance along the lines of progress and culture has been phenomenal is the only conclusion that can be arrived at after studying the subject. If this be true, speaking generally —and the most casual ob- server will hardly deny the statement—it is particularly pertinent in regard to their hold on art. There is no branch of art that shows more conclu- sively the higher standards demanded from its devotees among all classes of peo- ple than illustration. About twenty years ago, we could “THE LETTER OF RESIGNATION.” Mary Hallock Foote, United States. By permission of the Century Co. (Copyrighted.) count on the fingers of one hand all the women seriously engaged in this work; nor was it until the advent of Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote in the field, as the illustrator of her own charming stories, that illus- tration seemed to present an opening for women. Having obtained an entering wedge, they were not long in availing themselves of their opportunity, and now it is an. acknowledged fact that any woman possessing the requisite talent, training, and practical expe- rience in working for reproduction, is assured a profitable return for her labor. The feminine mind has ceased to view a profes- sional career as a thing of a few years only, a mere incident in her life to bridge over some financial crisis, or gratify a whim; nor is she following art in a dilettante spirit. She enters our schools and (68)