She does not mount a horse until she has examined him carefully.' "At the time when I saw her, she was thinking of her statue of Zenobia.
She was studying the history of Palmyra, reading up on the manners and customs of its people, and examining Eastern relics and costumes.
"If she heard that in the sacristy of a certain cathedral, hundreds of miles away, were lying robes of Eastern queens, she mounted her horse and rode to the spot, for the sake of learning the lesson they could teach.
"Day after day alone in her studio, she studied the subject.

Think what knowledge of the country, of the history of the people, must be gathered, must be moulded, to bring into the face and bearing of its queen the expression of the race! Think what familiar acquaintance with the human form, to represent a lifelike figure at all! "For years after I came home I read the newspapers to see if I could find any notice of the statue of Zenobia; and I did at length see this announcement: 'The statue of Zenobia, by Miss Hosmer, is on exhibition at Childs & Jenks'.' "It was after five years.

All through those five years, Miss Hosmer had kept her projects steadily turned in this direction.
"Whatever may be the criticism of art upon her work, no one can deny that she is above the average artist.
"But she is herself, as a woman, very much above herself in art.

If there came to any struggling artist in Rome the need of a friend,--and of the thousand artists in Rome very few are successful,--Harriet Hosmer was that friend.
"I knew her to stretch out a helping hand to an unfortunate artist, a poor, uneducated, unattractive American, against whom the other Americans in Rome shut their houses and their hearts.

When the other Americans turned from the unsuccessful artist, Harriet Hosmer reached forth the helping hand.
"When Harriet Hosmer knew herself to be a sculptor, she knew also that in all America was no school for her.