Bashka Paeff papers, 1920-1981

Bashka Paeff (1894-1979) was a sculptor in Boston, Massachusettes. Paeff was born in Minsk, Russia and moved to Boston with her parents when she was a year old. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, with Bela Pratt in 1914. Later she worked at the McDowell Colony and married Boston University professor Samuel M. Waxman. Paeff was known for realistic animal sculptures as well as war memorials, fountains, and portraits. Notable works include the Boy and Bird statue in the Boston Public Gardens, the Lexington Minute Men Memorial, and a statue of President Harding's pet terrier, Laddie Boy, which was cast from pennies collected by newsboys and became part of the Smithsonian Institution collection.