RSW's Diary Comments

Woodward did not keep records of his chalk drawings.

Buckland school teacher Miss Mabel
Raguse in her apartment in Shelburne Falls,
MA beneath the chalk drawing From a May Hill

Mable held a high place of affection from RSW.
For her admiration and devotion to his work,
at considerable expense for a school teacher,
he honored her with a personalized gift. A
framed sepia print of an unknown painting
and personally signing the back of it for her.
And for that we HONOR her as well...

This is a special drawing to Woodward considering where it exhibited... Myles, Smith and Stockbridge are all personal favorites of RSW. Then for it to hang in the Myles Standish Hotel's dining room, another honor for just a handful of other pieces, Mable was very fortunate in that regard.

Buckland school teacher Miss Mabel Raguse purchased 2 oil paintings and 3 chalk drawings over her life time. This is quite a feat on a teacher's salary. Safe estimates of what it cost her are anywhere from $25,000 to $27,000 in today's dollars. We do not how much her wages were in that time yet it is safe to say what she spent on paintings by Woodward probably totaled around a quarter of a year's salary.

The other paintings purchased by Miss Raguse, plus Woodward's gift to her we call, The Surprise:

• Spring Window
• In the Sugar House, Boiling
• Village Church in Winter
• The Surprise

For more about Miss Mabel Raguse and her love of RSW's work CLICK HERE

See also our Painting story on the two silo paintings: CLICK HERE