The Washington herald., 1907-12-22

fore from the north Of Ireland. With
the splendid complexion possessed by so
many Irish women. the ready wit and
pleasing manner so characteristic Of
women from the land Of Blarney. she
soon came TO be a favorite in the family.
II was AT this time that Mr. Saint Gau-
dens was commissioned by the govern
ment 20 prepare "A design for the new
head Of the Goddess of Liberty 20 be
used on the new coins which the Treas
Ury Department decided TO issue later
lie had searched in many directions for
a face which he regarded as meeting
with the necessary requirements. but il
was not until he saw Mary Cunningham
IN his own home that he decided he had
discovered that for which he had long
been seeking.
He communicated with the Treasury
Department. with the result that a gov
ernment photographer was sent from
Washington for the sole purpose Of tax
ing her likeness. The government Off
cials, having faiLh in Mr. Saint Gaudens'
| judgment and tasse, did not object 10 his
selection but then, and since. many per
/ sons have asked why il was that a face
more typically American could not have
| been found Later investigation disclosed
the fact that among the women Of the
Sioux, Cheyenne and Crow tribes Of In
dians are to-day to Re found faces which
! meet all the requirements Of a model for
/ the new coins.
Miss Williams and Bland Dollar.
/ Miss Mamie Williams. whose girIish
features served as the model for the head
OF the Goddess of Liberty" which was
placed on the Bland dollar in 1877, is still
Miss Mamie Williams and still retains
much of the beauty which caused her 10
be selected for the model
She is the directress of public kinder
gartens in Philadelphia, and lives at 634
North Twelfth street with relatives. The
section of the city is one from which
many Of the older residents have fed be-
fore the march of the clearinghouse and
/ the apartment house. Miss Williams
home is one of the few there in which
! home is spelled before the visitors eyes
the instant he steps into the old-fash-
iOned DarlOr. with its rows of books, its
piano, its oil portraits, its engravings. its
magazines scattered over the table under
the low ireadlng lamp 1t is all the more
charming for its presence where real
homes are few.
Miss Williams is just the woman abou,
whom one might expect TO center the
school girls throughout the country about
the girl whose head was placed upon the
silver dollar She is Of medium height
and plump, although not stout figure
Her eyes are brown. Her hair is still the
golden hair it was when she sat in the
parlor Of her friend, Miss Eakins a sister
of Thomas Eakins, the painter. at LIZ
Mount Vernon street and laughingly
posed for the sketch. wearing a Goddess
of Liberty cap, which Miss Eakins, hel
! friend. had laughingly constructed out
Of paper. 1t was just an evening froliC
in the beginning. Her face is unlined anC
now and then there flashes from the eye:
or from some gesture an Illuminating sug
gestion Of the schoolgirl upon whom fam,
was thrust
Press Keeps Subject Alive.
For 1t was thrust upon her. My broth
= er and Mr.. Eakins were great friends il
those days" said Miss Williams 'Georg,
Morgan. the English engraver who wa
brought TO this country TO become the en-
grayer for the Philadelphia Mint. becam,
. acquainted with Mr. Eakins and through
him with my brother. When il was actu
S ally proposed that I sit for the head
= my brother was told that the fact that