To be an officer in the French Academy is an honor surpassed in France by that of the Legion of Honor only. Within a twelvemonth two hundred and seventy-five women have been thus distinguished, twenty-eight of them being painters and designers. From this famous Academy down, through the International Expositions, the Salons, and the numberless exhibitions in various countries, a large proportion of medals and other honors are conferred on women, who, having now been accorded all privileges necessary for the pursuit of art and for its recompense, will surely prove that they richly merit every good that can be shared with them. <b>AARESTRUP, MARIE HELENE.</b> Born at Flekkefjord, Norway, 1829. She made her studies in Bergen, under Reusch; under Tessier in Paris; and Vautier in Düsseldorf. She excelled in genre and portrait painting. Her "Playing Child" and "Shepherd Boy" are in the Art Union in Christiania; the "Interior of Hotel Cluny" and a "Flower Girl" are in the Museum at Gottenburg. <b>ABBATT, AGNES DEAN.</b> Bronze medal, Cooper Union; silver medal, Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics' Association. Member of American Water Color Society. [_No reply to circular_.] <b>ABBEMA, MME. LOUISE.</b> Officer of the Mérite des Arts; honorable mention, Salon of 1881; bronze medal, Paris Exposition, 1900; Hors Concours, 1903, at Exposition of Limoges. Born at Étampes, 1858. Pupil of Chaplin, Henner, and Carolus-Duran. She exhibited a "Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt," 1876; "The Seasons," 1883; "Portrait of M. Abbema," 1887; "Among the Flowers," 1893; "An April Morning," 1894; "Winter," 1895, etc. This artist has also executed numerous decorations for ceilings and decorative panels for private houses. Her picture of "Breakfast in the Conservatory" is in the Museum of Pau. Mme. Abbema illustrated "La Mer," by Maizeroy, and has contributed to the _Gazette des Beaux-Arts_ and several other Parisian publications. At the Salon of the Artistes Français, 1902, she exhibited the "Portrait of Pierre," and in 1903 a portrait of the Countess P. S. Mme. Abbema wears her hair short, and affects such absolute simplicity in her costume that at first sight she reminds one of a charming young man. In no other direction, however, is there a masculine touch about this delightful artist. She has feminine grace, a love for poetry, a passion for flowers, which she often introduces in her pictures; she has, in short, a truly womanly character, which appears in the refinement and attractiveness of her work. [_No reply to circular_.] <b>ABBOTT, KATHERINE G.</b> Bronze medal, Paris Exposition, 1900; honorable mention, Buffalo Exposition, 1901. [_No reply to circular_.]