Book Research with a Side of City Life
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
I finally got around to cataloging J's kindergarten scrapbook yesterday! She started it in 1906! I put off doing this project for so long because the paper is quite delicate in places. These are the oldest things in my collection. I thought I would share a few of the pieces with you! Scrapbook Cover First … Continue reading Cataloging J’s Kindergarten Scrapbook
I love vintage ads. They're hard to ignore, especially when combing through online newspaper archives. Staying focused is key, but reading shoe ads from 1919 remains ever-tempting. Don't get me started on period movie advertisements. Sigh. I recently found these gems during a long research session. They are from the years 1916 to 1920. Enjoy!
Biography research is often serious and intense work. Sometimes it is nice to let loose, as I did here using my favorite photo of J as a starting point.
“For she had a great variety of selves to call upon, far more than we have been able to find room for, since a biography is considered complete if it merely accounts for six or seven selves, whereas a person may have many thousand…and these selves of which we are built up, one on top … Continue reading Virginia Woolf on A Great Variety of Selves
Here is a blurb from a newspaper review of The Student Prince. The date was 11-17-25. The place: Pennsylvania. "J, as Kathie, was a winsom (sic) miss with her charming manner and her fine soprano voice. Concert stars have often failed to measure up to the standard that she set last night." Without any extant … Continue reading A Winsome Miss
Why does having a project-specific business card design add gravitas to my research? I've no idea, but it does. Never mind that I have accumulated a year's worth of weighty, highly detailed information about J. Somehow, having a stack of 3.5" x 2" printed paper at my disposal makes everything feel real-real. I suppose this … Continue reading Business Cards
We moved house last week. I have a beautiful, spacious new writing studio. I'm still unpacking books, hanging art, and putting everything in its place. I'll share after pics as soon as I can. Before
This eloquently expressed idea is always in the back of my mind as I sift through the ashes of J's career. Her contributions to the cultural fabric of her era deserve to be resurrected, reexamined, and reevaluated. May she be one of many women whose lives are thrust into the light of visible history.
Alternative Muses 