As a young girl, Augusta enjoyed nothing as much as playing with clay. She would happily spend hours sculpting figures of cows, chickens, and ducks. Her mother didn't mind, but her father, a stern preacher, felt the girl was wasting her time on idle nonsense.

With her mother's support, Augusta's talent grew and as she became a young woman, Augusta found herself at a crossroad. She knew she wanted to be an artist, but it would also mean leaving behind all she knew and leaving the only home she had known.