The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-04-29
Winnie Ream Sloxie's New Home.

Among Ine lnally uanuSOlue IeSluciiCeS
erected here during the past year, one
belonging to Lieutenant Hoxie, District
Engineer, has attracted much admiration.
The house is built at the corner of X
and Seventeenth streets, one side over
looking Farragut Square, an open tri-
angle, upon which front many fine man.
sions of resident swells. A rounded
tower fills the corner, and over a lower
window, bronze tablet announces the
studio of Winnie Ream Hoxie, artist.
When the bewitching little sculptor
married, society wondered whether she
would cast away her clay and break up
her molding sticks, or still cling to her
art. 1t was considered impossible for
her to fill the two rules of homekeeper
and modeler, but she has triumphantly
carried one with the other and merges
the two. Her marriage with Lieuten-
ant Hoxie has proved most happy and
harmonious union, and her last and
greatest work, the statue of Farragut,
has Just gone from her hands. On
Wednesday afternoons the artist is
at. home to her callers, and up stairs
and down stairs the little lady flies,
showing and explaining the mysteries
and trophies of her art. On Sunday
evenings Mr.. and Mrs. Hoxie are at
home for their friends to come and chat
around their fireplace, and enjoy with
them the comforts and beauties of their
new house. In her parlors white statues
glow in the rosy twilight of her crimson
curtains. Sappho, calm and pensive,
scroll and stylus in hand, stands in one
corner; and "The West" an emblem
attic figure of a young girl, springs for
ward with the star of empire upon her
brow and the broken arrows of her past
east behind her. Two laughing baby
heads in marble stand on the high
oak chimney piece. The hands of Mrs.
Fremont and her daughter, one holding
a pen, the other a rose, are on the table;
and everywhere are scattered like treas
ures, queer conceits and curios. A
sketch by Dore, with pretty little ded-
ioation in his autograph, hangs on one
side; and portrait of Mrs. Hoxie, by
Healy, smiles from the opposite wall.
Queer brasses, bits of alabasta from
Pisa, inlaid woods of Sorrento, a carved
prie-dieu and silver lamps and censers
from some dismantled convent, a golden
harp that once belonged to an ancient
family Of France, with chubby cherubs
kicking their heels at the top of the
elaborate post, all add to the attrac-
tiveness of these rooms. In the
studio below are all sorts of clayey
and half-formed images shrouded
in damp cloths. A bust of Gen
eral Custer attracts the most at
tention. 1t was begun the Winter be-
tore the battle of the Rosebud, and
while the artist nodded his features the
restless sitter took out his penknife and
whitfield and cut the shoulder straps
That part has not been touched SINCE
and the marks of his knife blade are as,
fresh as they were four years ago. Mrs.
Custer has been so pleased with the
work, so much interested in it as it
grew, that Mrs. Hoxie intends present
ing it to her. A bronze cast will be
made from it for Mrs. Custer and one
for the artist. The statue Of Farragut,
upon which she has been working these
four years, is now at the Washington
Navy Yard, where it has been cast by
gracious act of Congress, which appro'
priated $4,000 for the statue; and the
artist, hurriedly signing the documents
as handed her, found afterwara that she
had to furnish pedestal as well as statue.
The supply OF condemned cannon hav-
ing been exhausted in these piping times
of peace, there was no way to equalize
things. At present Farragut is at the
foundry, his disjecta membra spread
from end to end of the building.
His head and also his trunk are
plunged face downward in French sand
and plaster to make the mold. His
arms are off by themselves, buried in
more sand and plaster. The rest of him
visible consists of right leg suspended
by cable IN mid-air, the left leg stand
ing by itself on its proper coil of ropes,
while his plaster coat tails lie on bench,
and his spyglass is on high shelf. The
statue will be cast in seven pieces, joined
together, given final bath of cleansing
acid, and then set up in Farragut square,
where the artist can view her handiwork
from the windows OF her home. The
amount of time and work that have been
mt ,.pop ir since the modal lefr her