Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-02-07
A woMAN's DANGEROUS CLIMB.
Miss LeaVitt, Former Bellows Falls
School Teacher, Mounts Alpine Ola.
ciers in Quest Of Subjects to Paint.

The heroine OF the story below was
formerly a school teacher in Bellows
Falls, and also had many friends in
Grafton, where she boarded some time
al the Phelps hotel
Some sketches that are attracting con-
siderable attention at present among low
ers of art are those by Miss Agnes
Leavitt, now on exhibition at the APP
palachian Mountain club. They are about
50 in number, of the Alps mostly, and
were painted last summer.
Additional interest is centred in these
charming water colors from the fact
that the American world of art, at least,
is not flooded with pictures of the Alps
our artists prefer Holland, Italy and
Greece. because the dangers are less. the
scenery, perhaps. appealing more to the
average person, and well-the difficulties
OF transferring to canvas the grandeur
and sublimity Of the Alps are very well
understood.
Miss Leavltt is determined little
woman. - am going to the Alps" she
told her friends But you know the
dangers and the obstaces?' her friends
reiterated. discouragingly. We'll. I'm
going" she said. And she went.
Miss Leavitt spent seven weeks in Eu-
rope, about four in the Alps. During the
greater part of this time she was at the
well-known Hotel Rinealp. opposite the
Matterhorn, just above Icrmatt. She
was accompanied 10y New York friend
I'VE were about 1000 feet up In the
air" Miss Leavitt told the Advertiser
reporter. Women artists usually do not
wander so far up the mountains-tn
paint. The roads are narrow path
ways. and therefore. not pleasurably
passable, and there are glaciers with
cracks and crcVasses. And SO painting
of the beauties of the high attitudes is
avoided
Miss Leavitt journeyed hithcr and
thithcr always ON foot Frequently she
skirted the edges of the great rock for
nations for miles and miles. intent after
subject that appealed to her In and
around great towering peaks she followed
her faithful guide.
Sometimes her travels took her down
some zizzag mountain side-"which was
not at all dangerous" she remarked
naively. And yet not many women at
tempt like tasks
II fell in love with the great Corner
glacier" the artist told the reporter
II painted many wonderful little ponds
and interesting scenery along the coast"
Didn't you have any adventurous es-
capes-from the crcvasscs and rivers
her listener asked.
"Oh. no. they didn't bother us any"
How did You. "a woman. dare to cross
that hssurc2' The newspaper man
pointed to a picture wherein was shown
crack in the ice hridged los "a plank
perhaps a foot wide.
why. | walked over on the plank"
Miss Leavitt replied with an infectious
laugh.
But you-a woman and the great
unending space below you?'
Il didn't mind IL. ] even looked down
to take In the beauties OF the jagged sides
Of the glacier and the delicious little riv-
ulets that trickled down here and there,
she explained ingenuously.
Miss Leavitt made four large paint
ings OF Monte Rosa. Bright Horn Mat
terhorn and lisp valley and Berenese
overland. She made two sketches of
Fuka pass. One of her water colors
which attracts more than passing at
tention IS OF the Corner glacier, painted
while Miss Leavitt was at an altitude of
10000 feet