Parnassus

" Their house was full of unostentatious beauty and comfort, and here the art loving host and hostess attracted and entertained artists of all kinds. Laurie had music enough now, and was a generous patron to the class he most liked to help. Amy had her protegees among ambitious young painters and sculptors,and found her own art doubly dear as her daughter grew old enough to share it's labors and delights with her; for she was one of those who prove that women can be faithful wives and mothers without sacrificing the special gift bestowed upon them for their own development and the good of others...A stately, graceful woman, who showed how elegant simplicity could be made by the taste with which she chose her dress and the grace with which she wore it. As someone said, "I never know what Mrs.Laurence has on, but I always recieve the impression that she is the best-dressed lady in the room."

Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott