I am entering month three of mapping every branch and twig of J’s family tree. I’ve traced her dad’s forebears back as far as possible, which is much further than is strictly necessary. Four hundred-plus years of knowledge will be condensed into a few paragraphs, at most. However, this information is fundamental in underpinning the … Continue reading Research Notes: Catching Up
Tag: History
1920: An Entertaining Year
1920 was momentous for J...she left her teen years, met her future husband, AND made her professional debut in a tour of De Koven's Robin Hood. In honor of that special time in J's life, I've compiled this 1920-themed gallery. BONUS LINK: A delicious decade: The food of 1910-1920 (The Seattle Times)
FAMILY ALBUM: SUMMER OF ’36
This snapshot of J and her little family is the only one I have of all four of them together. There is no date scrawled on the back, but going by the age of the baby this pic was captured during the summer of 1936. I have no context for the image. R, TODDLER DAVID, … Continue reading FAMILY ALBUM: SUMMER OF ’36
Never a Dull Day in Biographyville
When not working my part-time day job or helping out at the family business, my head has been buried in book research. I've unearthed an absurd amount of information about J and her husband, R, especially as it relates to what I had previously thought of as a lost decade: the 1930s. Her scrapbook covers … Continue reading Never a Dull Day in Biographyville
J On This Day: 21 March 1926
21 MARCH 1926: J spent at least part of 1926 starring in a touring production of Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly's The Student Prince. March 21 saw her opening the operetta in yet another city. It ran Sunday-Wednesday, with a matinee offered on the final day. Then it was on to the next town, hotel, … Continue reading J On This Day: 21 March 1926
[Book Review] Hard Times
*Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all book reviews on Alternative Muses are for volumes I’ve read as part of my J biography research. I hesitated to use the word review, as this series heavily focuses on WHY I chose to read a book and what I got out of it research-wise. As a compromise, I’ll end each post … Continue reading [Book Review] Hard Times
[Book Review] A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
*Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all book reviews on Alternative Muses are for volumes I’ve read as part of my J biography research. I hesitated to use the word review, as this series heavily focuses on WHY I chose to read a book and what I got out of it research-wise. As a compromise, I’ll end each post … Continue reading [Book Review] A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
Brainstorming Chart
I have a lot to do, wouldn't you say? My brainstorming sessions have produced hundreds of items, most of which you would find yawn-inducing. The above chart, however, is a nice representation of the topics I'm researching for this biography. It's a good thing that I love weird minutiae. A QUESTION FOR YOU: Are visuals … Continue reading Brainstorming Chart
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