Here’s something a little different for this Wordless Wednesday.
The African-American woman in this photo is famous. Do you know who she is? If you do — or think you may — please comment below.
On the far left is my maternal grandmother, Evelyn (Northfield) Jeffrey. The photo was taken in the late 1950s in Edmonton, Alberta — though that’s unlikely to give you a clue.
Hints to come, if necessary.
And, yes, there’s a story attached.
Copyright Allyson Latta
View more of my photos here.
Drop in on the following writer friends for further Wordlessness
Kristen den Hartog (Blog of Green Gables)
Elizabeth Yeoman (Wunderkamera)
and visit photographer David Williams, who hosts a “blog hop” with links to other WW enthusiasts:
Recent Posts on Writing
“Bicycle Summers” by Sandra Shaw Homer
2013 Courses, Workshops, and Retreats – Memoir and Creative Writing
Quotes on Memory & Memoir: “Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?” by Jeanette Winterson
Interview with Giller Prize Winner Will Ferguson (& writing tips)
Is it Marian Anderson?
Oh, you’re a smart one, Elizabeth. Yes, it’s Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993).
For those who don’t know of her, she was a celebrated American contralto who also played a role in the struggle against racial prejudice in the U.S. In 1939 the DAR denied her the right to sing at Constitution Hall. So at the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was permitted to perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at Easter, April 9, 1939, heard by an audience of 75,000 and millions more on radio. In 1955, she became the first black person to perform at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, and in 1963, she sang at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Anderson was also a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
There’s more about her in this Penn Library Exhibition “Marian Anderson: A Life in Song,” http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/anderson. And here’s a short clip of her singing at the Lincoln Memorial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAONYTMf2pk.
After this photo was taken, my grandmother hosted a reception for Marian in her home in Edmonton.
What a glamorous lady! Actually a glamorous bunch. I love the expressions on their faces — especially your grandmother’s!
They are glamorous, aren’t they. Funny you noticed my grandmother laughing. She was usually much more prim and proper when being photographed. Whoever took this definitely caught her in an unguarded moment.
Is there any more story about the reception and how your grandmother came to hold it and what it was like? I love back stories. The “front” story here is so painful and so inspiring but the domestic details of the reception would also be fascinating.
And thank you for the wonderful links – to hear her sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial!
You’re right about domestic details being fascinating.
My grandmother — we kids called her Deedee — was a professional singer, first in Calgary and later in Edmonton. In Calgary in the 1930s she and singer Norman J. Kennedy had a radio show, “The Sunshine Hour,” and she also sang the lead in various light operas. She was a well-regarded voice and piano teacher.
Here’s what my aunt Paige Hunter, who was a child at the time, says about this photo:
“The couple on either side of Marian Anderson are Archie and Mary Wotherspoon (she was my music theory teacher and as nice as she looked). The short man was Marian’s accompanist, Franz Rupp. The picture was taken at the Wotherspoons’ house. Deedee was president of the Edmonton women’s musical club, which was very tony at the time! After the concert there was a reception for 50 at our house with dainty sandwiches, and when most people had gone, Mother asked Marian if she was hungry. Her answer was “starving,” so Mother cooked steak and eggs for Marian and her accompanist! That was the closest I ever came to hobnobbing with someone famous.”
“Genius draws no colour line.”
What a wonderful quote. Harold L. Ickes, secretary of the interior, introducing Marian when she sang at the Lincoln Memorial.
What a story. [And beautiful picture.] I especially love the idea of your grandmother making steak and eggs after all the ‘formalities’ were overwith. I suspect that may have been the best part of the evening for everyone!
There’s something about pictures from this era that can’t be duplicated. An elegance even in the most casual of shots.
I love the idea of the steak and eggs too. And it must mean that Marian Anderson enjoyed your grandmother’s company because even if she was starving she could have got food somewhere else if she hadn’t felt like hanging out. What a wonderful experience it must have been.
It’s true what you say about there being elegance in photos from that time. And I’ll bet these people WOULD have looked classy even at the beach. I don’t ever remember my grandmother not being well dressed and with her hair “up.”
Regarding the impromptu meal after the reception, my aunt added in an email to me, “[My father] thought it was the funniest thing he’d seen, that somebody that famous was such an ordinary person at heart. She had ‘no attitude,’ and was gracious to all the guests.”
Not that this is a casual shot. But I can imagine the same group at the beach looking just as swank, wrapped in towels.
Oh! I was hoping to be first with the correct answer (Marion Anderson), but alas, a number of people beat me to it. Neat story.
Lynette, I was surprised someone guessed so quickly! I’m glad you like the story. Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.