The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-10-26
HISTORY TOLD IN GRouPEs,
The Result of Two Months of Hard
Work by Miss Bowen-An At
tempt to Represent Accurate
ly by Models Scenes in
the Early History
Of America.

the world, the one in Brooklyn, may
be seen an attempt to make history
tangible by carefully studied and
modelled groups. Miss Agnes T..
Bowen has recently completed a SER
les Of three groups, illustrating the
Spanish, Dutch and Cavalier types
Of early settlers within the limits of
IT," T1"itcA States. It took two
months of eight hours work day to
make these three groups.
Standard histories Of costume were
consulted in French and German as
well as English. Old prints were
sought and copies Of paintings Of the
period represented. History was stud
led to gel the domestic and social city
Of New York and the territory as far
afield as Canada were ransackcd for
materials and properties which would
truthful exhibit what the histories
had taught.
AS result the three groupes arc
r""l'y historical documents, telling
their story in wood papicr mache, tex
tiles and some dozens of other mater
ials instead Of in paint or printers s
ink.
The Dutch group represents trad
er's log cabin, surrounded by a
stoclade, in the woods near Albany.
There is painted forest background
but .no no.,c. WOODS are Of twigs,
kiln died and dipped in the wax u.s.
ed for vegetation Museum of Natural
History. At the door stands the
Dutch wife, in dress accurately copi-
ed. The artist has not forgotten to
give her very red arms, since red
arms, produced by very tight sleeves,
were much admired by the Dutch Of
that day.
The trader wears n deerskin suit
Three Indians arc selling him bear
skins. The bcarskins camn from a toy
shop. Two Indians came from there
also, the third being modelled, be-
cause no Indian doll could be found
which would sit down in natural
attitude. The guns were tiny rifles
used as advertisements by Al gun
store.
The pipe came off q St. patrick's
Day emblem. The settler has two very
good hunting dogs which were found
in toy store. A small boy supplied
al idea regarding them.
"The dogs wouldn't like the In
dians," said he. "Their ears would
be down instead of up.'
Inquiry confirming this view, the
ears were properly manipulated.
The hunting which it took to find
all these things consumed good part
of the two months devoted to the
task. a young woman at the museum
sacrificed raven lock Of her hair
for the Indians heads, but it was
found impossible to manipulate hu-
man hair, and fine sewing silk had to
be used, each tendril fixed separately
in the wax heads with forceps.
The house in tho Cavalier group is
made of red brick, with brocade cur
tains at the windows, and the figures
are dressed in silk and velvet. The
house has ornate porches, with carv-
ed pillars and pilasters, the carving
being done by hand by Mr.. Bender, of
the American Museum. a carriage
road made Of hot glue, cut with wheel
marks and then sprinlled with sand,
passes the porch. The grass is the
spagnum moss that comes for Christ
mas trees, each separate spray dip
ped in hot glue and then fixed in
place.
Masses of roses, the smallest that
come in French artificial flowers, de-
corate the garden, and were the mos,
expensive property purchased. As
for the figures, there is a cavalier on
horseback, executing sweeping sal
nte with his hat to his lady love in
the porch above, the progenitors Of
al f. Il. Y.
The costumes were copied minutely
from a standard history Of costume
in America. The cavalier is in greer,
velvet corduroy, with a plumed hat
in which is true lovers knoL of real
gold and diamonds, donated by ~
femme enthusiast. The girl on the
porch is beauty in pale blue silk.
The blue rosette on the horses head
matching that on the lady's, is strict
ly historical, rs we'll as hundreds OF
g. 4, l~.1