after bixby smith's 1916 divorce from arthur and marriage the same year to paul, the couple moved with the children to her mansion in claremont, which had in the meantime been turned into a school for boys by w. e. garrison. in 1917, the school's lease ended and they began renovating the house back into a private residence, which they named erewhon on completion. around this time, they met and subsequently became friends with one of bixby smith's cousins, the photographer edward weston, who made a photographic portrait of her around 1919. there are also a number of weston photographs of bathers shot around erewhon's indoor pool. later, the couple moved to a mansion on los feliz boulevard in los angeles, where their dinner parties were famous for bringing members of the city's bohemian circles together with the ruling oligarchy. eventually, paul left bixby smith and they got divorced.