Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-03

Prominent among the art achieve
ments of women that have been
chronicled of late is the success of
Miss Belle Kinney, young sculptor
who Is rapidly making a place for
herself in the world Of art. That Miss
Kinney should have won the commits
sion for the monument to the Wo-
men of the Confederacy in an open
contest in which seVenty-seVen COM
petitors participated and in which
hers was the only design submitted
by a woman, is not only a distln-
guished honor, but another illustra-
tion of what a change has come about
in woman's sphere in the span Of one
lifetime. Elizabeth Ney, the niece OF
Napoleon's celebrated marshal, was
the first woman ever admitted for the
of Germany, and it is only in the past
decade or two that women of this
country have been making names for
themselves in this branch of art.
Miss Kinney, who was born in Nash
vile, Tenn, being herself the daugh-
ter of a Confederate soldier, is not only
fitted by birth and sentiment to un-
dertake the work of idealizing in art
the old soldiers memory Of the angels
of the Civil war, but is possessed or
unusual talent, perhaps inherited from
her mother, through whom she Is de-
scended from Sir Thomas Lawrence,
the noted English painter.
Miss Kinney has been for several
years a student at the Art institute OF
Chicago, where she also assisted IN
teaching the classes in modelling. She
had decided to open a studio In New
York but hearing that the question or
a monument to the Women of the Con-
federacy was to be brought up at the
reunion of the Confederate veterans,
held in Memphis last May. she con-
cluded to change her plans, and en-
tered a model in the competition.
Designs were submitted by Lewis
Potter of New York, Comrade Dupree
of Texas, Ruchstahl Of South Carolina,
Armetis of Italy and many other dls-
tinguished artists, but when Miss KIM
ney presented her conception of the
woman of the war times it went as
straight as a mimic ball to the heart
of the old soldiers. 1t was just what
they wanted and had been trying TO
make the artists understand.
But seventy-six men were not going
to give UP to one woman without a
protest, and the decision was post
poned for six months, when, on the
28th of last December the contract was
unanimously awarded to Miss Kinney.
The monument Is composed of three
figures. The central represents Fame.
on the left is a Confederate soldier,
who with his death grasp Is trying 70
raise, once more, the Confederate flag
On the right a Confederate woman, IN
an agony of sorrow and love, is plac-
ing a palm of victory on his breast,
all oblivious of Fame, who, for her de-
votion to the soldier and to the cause,
Is putting a crown of laurel on her
head. The design is to be of heroic
size, with central figure eight rect hlgn'
and there are to be ten monuments
one for each southern state excep!
South Carolina. They are to cos'
$4,000 apiece, without the base, which
viii be different for each state-one
having proposed to make the group the
central figure of a colonnade deslgr
which will call for an expenditure OF
100000.
An important step in the advance
ment of art in Los Angeles is the es-
tablishment of new private art gar
lery recently opened by Herbert ~ n
Ha1lett on the fourth floor of the
blanchard building. Mr.. Hallett has
been for number of years identiheo
with the picture-dealing world, nav
ing been associated with the Ehrich
galleries in New York; later with
julius Oehme, the dean of picture
dealers In America, and at one Time
maintaining a gallery of his own IN
the metropolis. 1t has evidently been
with these galleries of our great art
center in mind that Mr.. Hallett has
fitted up the beautiful room in wnlch
he is showing the ancient and modern
paintings he has in his collection. rms
room is most harmonious in color, ltS
walls. rugs and hangings Of rich We
lour, all blending into one sort, warm
color, a fitting setting for the can
vases which are displayed one at
time on this enhancing background.
Mr. Hallett is a connoisseur Of ex-
tensive art education and experience
and has been much gratified at one o1
his earliest discoveries in California
veritable "old master" holy ram
ily of the Spanish school of the sew
enteenth century, the work of a con-
temporary of Velasquez; rarely
beautiful canvas, and worthy or a
place in a great museum, coming tt
California as the choicest possession OF
an old Spanish family, after remaining
many years in Mexico, where frs'
brought from Europe. This painting
was recently sent on to the MetropoIl-
tan museum in New York, where Mr
Hallett's estimate of its authenticity
was corrOborated.
Several canvases of the modern
Dutch school are to be seen at this
gallery, interiors Wy DlOlilhOio CIV
Pieters a landscape by Gorter and
examples of the English school, such
as Arthur Drummond, noted pupil
of Alma Tadema.
The maintenance of permanent
gallery of this nature promises much
for the art education of the commun-
ity and is a step toward what has
proved an important side Of the art
life of our eastern cities.
The spacious new studios of Mrs.
Elizabeth Burton in South Hill street
afford an excellent opportunity for the
display of the work in handicrafts for
which Mrs. Burton has gained so wide
a reputation. Many of the articles
shown are designed to fit into schemes
for household decoration, the special
feature of the new studios. Most con-
spicuous are the large screens, worked
out in elaborate designs combining
leather, metal and wood, and lamp
shades of varied materials and designs
The introduction of shell of many kinds
is a unique feature of Mrs Burton 5
designs, and the effects thus obtained
are most beautiful. The abalone and
Philippine shells are used with excel
lent effect, and the Chriton shell pts
admirably into conventional designs. "A
melon shell forms beautiful pendant
light, and especially pleasing is the
effect of a flame torch obtained py the
use of shells. In another design sec
ton of a juniper tree, beautiful In form
and color, is used as base FOR Gus
ter of lights shaded by flower-llke clus-
ters fashioned from tarpon scales. Sew
E..k oil "