The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-06
MARY WHEELER'S BRUSH.
A Helena Girl Whose Work Is APP
preciated by the Critics In
the East.
"Contentmont," Exhibited at the
Woman's Art Club, Proves q
Decided Success.
Not the First Time tho Critics Have
Praised the Work Of Her Hand
Some Local Portraits.

While Montana has every reason to be
proud Of tho record the men living within
her borders have and are making as hnan
cisrs, railroad builders and sstute pol1-
%tlcians, Helena in particular can point with
equal satisfaction to the work of some
women who claim this city us their home,
That the women have nm equal opportunity
with the men in the northwest is evidenced
BY the SUCCESS that has attended their
labors in whatever direction they may have
seen tit to turn them. While Helena people
have shown their appreciation of the ability
of the women workers residing in their
midst, in a number Of instances its superb
ority has been more forcibly acknowledged,
by ontsiders both in the east and west.
1t is very difficult to have home people mp
preciate' local talent. They know the
author or artist, believe he or she ia clever,
but OF course cannot be compared to Mr..
So'and-so of Chicago or Miss So-and-So of
New York. After awhile the local author
or artist receives an offer from the east,
accepts. and in a few years his or her name
is in all the leading papers. Then the home
genius in their midst and did not dis
cover it.
Helena has the chance to claim and
recognize q rising artist now, and to their
credit, be it said, some of her people have
done 80. Feb. % the Woman's Art club of
New York, a private institution, had an
exhibition that lasted a week. The exhib-
itors comprised not only members OF the
club, but artists living in all sections of
the United States. Something over 600
pictures were sent in, and out of this num-
ber the judges selected 265 as worthy of a
place. From these 265 the New York World
selected six of the best, from every stand
point, as worthy Of reproduction in it's
colu INNS. One of these six was the work of
a Helena artist, Miss Mary Wheeler. The
picture she sent was entitled "Content-
ment." The scene is laid in the kitchen of
2 French p%easant's. home. The room is
but barely furnished, and in the center is a
common board table. Standing on one
side of it il a girl, of ~sixtesn. holding in
her hand q loaf of bread, and just in the
act Of cutting it. On her left, and gazing
%intently at her is a boy of three, sitting in
a high chair. 10 the right is a girl of
eight, wearing an old-fashioned apron,
her expression indicating that she expects
to have her full share of the loaf. The re-
production, while it does the original but
scant justice, gives a good idea Of the origi-
nality and artistic power of Miss Wheeler.
This is not the first time Miss Wheeler's
work has been selected for reproduction in
the columns of a newspaper. Last fall she
sent to the New York Academy exhibition a
picture entitled Sorrow and Contentment."
1t, was most favorably received by the
art critics, highly praised by the papers.
and reproduced by the World.
Miss Wheeler, true artist she is. loves to
paint from nature. Sh spent nearly four
years in Paris studying under such ceie-
brated masters dis DaRnon- Bouveret, Jules
Lefebvre and Benjamin Constant. Since
opening her studio in Helena she has re-
ceived and executed a number of orders for
portraits. Among. the latest of these is a
life like picture of DIR. A.. I. Foote. Rodger,
the pet dog at st. Peters hospital. will be
handed down to posterity by Miss Wheeler's
brush. During the coming summer she
hopes to be able to get out over the state
and gather material for studio work next
winter,