“As the Master and Student became more and more acquainted, and the great artist found in the student those kindred qualities which subsequently made her work so refined and beautiful,... he took the utmost care in developing her drawing—­the fidelity of line and of expression, and the ever-pervading purity in her work.  The sympathy with all good was reflected in the student, as it was ever present with the master, and only those who are acquainted with M. Merson can appreciate how fortunate it was for Art that the young artist was under a master of his character and temperament.”

One of her pictures, called “La Chrysantheme,” represents a nude figure of a young girl, seated on the ground, leaning against a large basket of chrysanthemums, from which she is plucking blossoms.  The figure is beautiful, and shows the deep study the artist had made, although still so young.

The following estimate of her work is made by one competent to speak of such matters:  “In this epoch of feverish uncertainty, of heated discussions and rivalries in art matters, the quiet, calm figure of Sadie Waters has a peculiar interest and charm generated by her tranquil and persistent pursuit of an ideal—­an ideal she attained in her later works, an ideal of the highest mental order, mystical and human, and so far removed from the tendencies of our time that one might truthfully say, it stands alone.  Her talents were manifold.  She was endowed with the best of artistic qualities.  She cultivated them diligently, and slowly acquired the handicraft and skill which enabled her to express herself without restriction.  In her miniatures she learned to be careful, precise, and delicate; in her work from nature she was human; and in her studies of illuminating she gained a perfect understanding of ornamental painting and forms; and the subtle ambiance of the beautiful old churches and convents where she worked and pored over the ancient missals, and softly talked with the princely robed Monsignori, no doubt did much to develop her love for the Beautiful Story, the delicate myth of Christianity—­and all this, all these rare qualities and honest efforts we find in her last picture, The Virgin.

“The beauty and preciseness of this composition, the divine feeling not without a touch of motherly sentiment, its delicacy so rare and so pure, the distinction of its coloring, are all past expression, and give it a place unique in the nineteenth century.”—­Paul W. Bartlett, Paris, 1903.

WEGMANN, BERTHA. Honorable mention, Paris Salon, 1880; third-class medal, 1882; Thorwaldsen medal at Copenhagen; small gold medal, Berlin, 1894.  Born at Soglio, Switzerland, 1847.  Studied in Copenhagen, Munich, Paris, and Florence.

She paints portraits and genre subjects.  Her pictures, seen at Berlin in 1893, were much admired.  They included portraits, figure studies, and Danish interiors.  At Munich, in 1894, her portraits attracted attention, and were commended by those who wrote of the exhibition.  Among her works are many portraits:  “Mother and Child in the Garden,” and “A Widow and Child,” are two of her genre subjects.