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By Tara Mae William Sidney Mount was an artist whose Long Island heritage was integral to his identity and his art. Most famous for his portrayals of local and natural life, Mount's initial interest in historical paintings and his commissions for death portraiture led him to create the work that would become his legacy. What Mount witnessed and experienced determined how he rendered the realm he could control: his art. He was born in Setauket on November 26, 1807. His parents, Julia Ann Hawkins and Thomas Shephard Mount, had a farm and also ran a store and tavern on the edge of the village green. Interested in artistic endeavors from a young age, with his family’s support, set out to pursue that goal. Following his father’s death in 1814, his mother returned to his grandfather’s farm in Stony Brook and Mount lived for a time with his maternal aunt and uncle, Letty and Micah Hawkins, in New York City. Micah was a playwright, composer, and musician, who encouraged Mount’s interest in music. In 1815, Mount returned to Long Island, living in his grandfather’s home until returning to Manhattan where he apprenticed to his brother Henry as a sign maker. It was during this period that Mount really began to develop his interest in painting. With Henry’s encouragement, Mount attended the American Academy of the Fine Arts exhibition at City Hall Park in 1825. This event introduced Mount to a genre of art he had not yet enjoyed: history painting. Rather than pursue a formal art education or seek tutelage from a master, Mount continued to work for his brother while teaching himself. Henry was now business partners with a painter named William Inslee, who owned a collection of prints by British artist William Hogarth, who specialized in history painting. Moved by his art as well as that of another British artist, Benjamin West, Mount copied Hogarth’s prints in order to practice his craft. History painting is characterized by its content instead of its artistic method. This form generally depicts an instance in a narrative story rather than a specific, fixed subject such as a portrait. Until the 19th century, history painting was considered the most prestigious type of Western painting. Then, as artists pushed back against the rigid parameters of academic art standards, it became a medium mainly regarded in that milieu. This genre encompassed works that portrayed religious scenes, and Mount’s most popular history painting is of this nature. Upon the recommendation of family friend Martin E. Thompson, Mount enrolled in the National Academy of Design, which Thompson had cofounded. At the institution Mount was able to explore his appreciation for the Grand Manner, an idealized aestheticism that drew from classicism and the art of the high Renaissance. Initially it specifically referred to history painting, but came to include portraiture. The term Grand Manner was also used by British artists and critics to describe art that incorporated visual metaphors to represent noble characteristics. In this manner, Mount created historical paintings that were very well received. He selected scenes from classical texts that focused on topics like near-death experiences, death, and resurrection. Mount’s first notable oil painting, Christ Raising the Daughter of Jairus (1828) caused a stir when it was exhibited at the National Academy of Design; the council was stunned that a young artist with little formal instruction could produce such a work. Mount, who was one of the school’s first students, was elected an associate member in 1831. He returned to Setauket the next year, but continued to send work to be exhibited in New York City. Mount’s history paintings were admired and respected, but they were not, apparently, particularly profitable. Perhaps impacted by the shifting opinions about historical paintings, Mount suffered a setback all too familiar to artists: his work did not sell well enough for him to make a living. So, he shifted his focus to portraiture. His first portrait subjects were easily persuaded: he painted himself and close relatives. Portraits provided a somewhat steadier income. Among his early patrons were the Weeks, Mils, Wells, and Strong families. Mount continued to improve his technique and was happy to be back on Long Island. “I found that portraits improved my colouring, and for pleasurable practice in that department I retired into the country to paint the mugs of Long Island Yeomanry.” Mount was less enamored with the other aspect of his business: death portraiture. Mourning portraits were paintings of the recently deceased. Frequently the subjects were shown as though they were alive, and symbolic details, like bodies of water and flowers, were used to indicate that they were not. Arguably a bit morbid, their existence was emotional: they were usually commissioned by the departed’s loved ones. It could be among the only renderings/images that existed of the recently dead. Mount worked on commission and he did not enjoy the work, which was fraught and could be gruesome. He could be summoned to someone’s wake or deathbed to make sketches or take notes for the upcoming portrait. Once he was called to the scene of an accident, to paint the likeness of a man who had been run over by a wagon. The final product did not reflect the cause and nature of the subject’s death. The art he created enveloped aspects of genres he had explored earlier in his career. These experiences helped Mount establish the style for which he would become best known. He combined the narrative elements of the history paintings with the human interest element of the death portraiture. Without this background, he may not have been inspired to create the art that became his job and his joy. Genre paintings, art that illustrates scenes of everyday life, became the most renowned selections of his oeuvre. Unlike his previous work, this type of art is distinguished from history paintings and portraits in that the subjects have no distinctive identities.  His first foray into this type of painting, The Rustic Dance, was immediately successful and encouraged him to further explore the medium. As Mount noted in his journal, “Ideas can be found in everything if the poet, sculptor and painter can pick them out.” He captured snippets of everyday life and frequently imbued them with subtle or more overt themes of social commentary. Motivated by the natural environment and his neighbors, Mount addressed moral issues, including economic standing and disparities as well as the implied status of Black people in the area. For example, in Bar-Room Scene (1835), Mount portrays patrons in a tavern. In the foreground a presumably inebriated man in tattered clothing is encouraged to dance by 3 seated men who are clearly of a higher economic class. A boy, who is standing, gazes upon him in apparent wonderment. In the back corner, there is a young Black man standing. He is also entertained by the dancer’s antics, but he is alone, separate from the group of other men. As a free Black man, he is allowed to visit the tavern, but he remains apart from the other visitors. Through this isolation, Mount indicates that the man is not fully able to participate in the community. The topics represented in this painting were recurring in his art. Mount’s return to the Three Villages marked a shift in the nature of his work. His exploration of slavery, racial dynamics, and rustic vignettes offer indelible insight into 19th century life on Long Island. His creative expression was a culmination of previous artistic enterprises, driven by both his own passion and financial necessity. Mount continued to paint, integrating other interests, such as music, into his art. He never married or had children and died of pneumonia on November 18,1868, at his brother Robert’s house in Setauket.

By Beverly C. Tyler One of the earliest schoolhouses in Setauket stood, until January 1870, near where the Caroline Church carriage shed is located. This small, one-room schoolhouse served all of western Setauket and was School District Number Two in the Town of Brookhaven. The school was taught through the winter term by a succession of male teachers, the last one being George W. Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins was paid $189.57, plus $6.58 for library expenses, for teaching from October 1, 1868 until April 1, 1869. In October 1869, a new one room schoolhouse opened on the Village Green and on January 25, 1870, the old schoolhouse was auctioned for $75.00 to Isaac Smith. The old school was then moved to its present location at the intersection of Main and Lake Streets in Setauket and enlarged. Since the new school on the Village Green was to have new equipment, the old student benches and the pot-bellied stove were also auctioned for $43.75. The auctioneer for the sale of the school and equipment was Carlton Jayne. This early schoolhouse was the subject of controversy in 1843 when school trustee, Captain Joseph Swift, this writer’s great-great-grandfather, engaged Miss Nancy T. Cleaves to teach the summer term. At the time, a great deal of fault was found with Captain Swift for employing a woman to teach. One term seemed to have removed all opposition, for she continued to teach the summer term for a number of years. The year Miss Cleaves began teaching was also the year that George W. Hawkins was born. Nancy Cleaves was born February 10, 1815. She was educated at Miss Hannah Goldsmith’s School for Young Ladies, Eldridge Street, New York. She continued to attend school at the Abbott’s Institute in New York during the winter term and to teach the summer term at Setauket through 1847. Miss Cleaves had a great influence on John Elderkin, a noted editor and professional journalist, who was born in Setauket in 1841. At a ceremony on December 3, 1897, John Elderkin presented a painting of Miss Cleaves to the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library and he spoke about her contributions to the community as a teacher and his memories of attending the school each summer. “Usually she (Miss Cleaves) was the first to appear at the schoolhouse to welcome us as we came trooping in, with our books under our arms and appetites sharpened for the playground, play, I am sorry to say, in those days being more attractive than study. How little any of us then appreciated what Miss Cleaves was doing for us! Miss Cleaves was constantly studying during her whole life, and her knowledge of literature, science, philosophy, rhetoric and astronomy was phenomenal and distinguished by accuracy and the readiness and facility with which it was communicated to others, in conversation or in the school room. On clear, starry nights she would take her pupils out into the open air and point out all the principal stars, planets and constellations which might be visible, accompanied with such explanations as astronomy then afforded. These excursions in the geography of the heavens left a deep and lasting impression, and gave an enlarged conception of space and matter and the grandeur of the physical world.” In the fall of 1847, Miss Cleaves opened a private school for boarders and day pupils in her Old Field home which was known as “the old castle.” Her home in Old Field no longer exists and another home was built on the site prior to 1900. School days during the 1800s were not always as fondly remembered as they were by John Elderkin. Schoolhouses were small, one room and often overcrowded. Students ranged in age from six to fifteen. The school was drafty and during the winter the students near the stove would be too warm and the ones near the walls would often be very cold. In many of the schools, teachers would be employed for only one year. The ability of the teachers varied a great deal and in a number of cases, the teacher was dismissed soon after the school year began. About the same year that a new schoolhouse was opened on the Village Green, Miss Nancy Cleaves moved to the house just to the south of the Elderkin Hotel, now the Setauket Neighborhood House. She died there on July 22, 1876. The portrait of Nancy Cleaves, painted by James Fagan, now hangs in the original part of the library along with the paintings of Thomas G. Hodgkins and his niece Emma S. Clark. According to John Elderkin, “the very existence of the [Emma S. Clark Memorial] Library is due more to the inspiration of her life and example for its foundation than to any other cause.” The Three Village area is not only fortunate to have such a long and varied history, but to have so many stories that bring the past to life. In this current climate of protest over the treatment of African Americans, both as slaves and as second-class citizens for almost 400 years, it is important to realize that women have also been treated as second-class citizens in America for virtually the same time period. Women received the right to vote in America following the passage of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution which was passed by Congress June 4, 1919; ratified August 18, 1920. We are now only a few weeks away from the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plans to reopen to visitors beginning Wednesday, August 5, 2020, with FREE ADMISSION through September 5, 2020. Timed tickets for entry are required. They will be welcoming visitors Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Opening on August 26, the Center’s newest exhibit, THE 19TH AMENDMENT: HOW WOMEN WON THE VOTE, will be included with entry. This exhibit will trace the triumphs and struggles that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, and will feature some of the many women who transformed constitutional history—including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, and Ida B. Wells—and will allow visitors to better understand the long fight for women’s suffrage. As detailed by Nancy Gertner, Senior Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and Gail Heriot, Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law in a web site article for the National Constitution Center, “[by the time the 19th Amendment was ratified] Only seven states barred women from voting entirely. . . Adding women hugely expanded the electorate. A funny thing happens when new voters come along: Politicians start caring about their views. When politicians see that roughly half their constituents are women, they start caring immensely.” We are only a few months from our national election. There is no better time to learn more about our United States Constitution. You can visit the National Constitution Center virtually right now and learn about the Constitution and the amendments that were designed to give African Americans and women equality in government, voting, business and in community life. Discovering the facts of the passages and implementations of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution it becomes clear that we are still have a long way to go to achieve equal treatment for all citizens in America.

by Tara Mae Three Village Historical Society recognizes the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which was the culmination of decades of strife and striving for civil rights. This event was built on the sacrifice, labor, and strategy of ordinary people who were revolutionary activists. Ella Baker, New Yorker by choice, not birth, was a grassroots organizer and the first female director of the New York chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.)  She used her fortitude for the fight for freedom, even as women were consistently overlooked or ejected from leadership roles. Baker’s tactics, methodology, and tenacity informed the movement and affected leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Like so many before and since, Baker moved to New York City in search of employment. She was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. The granddaughter of slaves, her father worked on a steamship line and her mother took in boarders to earn extra money. In 1910, Blacks were attacked at the shipyard. Her mother took Baker and her two siblings to Littleton, North Carolina, while her father remained with the steamship company in Norfolk. Baker graduated valedictorian of Shaw University in 1927. In Manhattan, Baker encountered urban poor, impoverished by the Great Depression. She started working as a journalist for the American West Indian News and then as an editorial assistant for for the Negro National News. Baker met and befriended George Schuyler, founder of the Young Negroes Cooperative League. It sought to advance Black economic clout via collective networks. After serving as its first secretary-treasurer, Baker quickly became its national director. With Schuyler, she held training forums and conferences designed to promote complementary systems of Black economic growth. These activities were her entry into positions of power in social justice movements, but they were not her introduction to reform. A teenager when the 19th Amendment was passed, Baker was influenced by the suffragist movement. Despite her age, Baker advocated for women’s voting rights. She modified techniques used by suffragists for the civil rights movement. Throughout her life, Baker fought for Black women to have equal rights as well as equal representation in public life. These tenets would influence her public life and professional choices. Involved in many causes focusing on the advancement of Black people, particularly Black women, Baker took a job with the Worker’s Education Project of the Works Progress Administration, created as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. Baker worked as an educator, teaching classes labor history, consumer education, and African history. She embraced and explored the cultural and political atmosphere of Harlem and was instructed by the teachings and ideals of the Harlem Renaissance. Baker protested Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia and supported the Scottsboro defendants. She married her college boyfriend, with whom she had been living, T.J. Roberts; they would later divorce in 1958. And Baker began her illustrious association with the NAACP, which at that time had its headquarters in New York City. Schuyler initially recommended her to the organization, and she was hired as a secretary. Baker grew more involved and acted as advisor to its New York Youth Council. On behalf of the NAACP, she traveled the country, particularly the South. Baker arranged local chapters, raised funds, and recruited members. Much of Baker’s outreach focused on bringing young people and women into the group. In 1943, she was named director of branches, relegating her to the highest ranking woman in the NAACP. This enabled Baker to expand her intentions of broadening the diversity of the membership and leadership. During the mid 1940s, Baker ran leadership conferences in Atlanta, Chicago, and other cities. She continued to tour the nation. Baker’s trips took her into people’s homes and communities; she responded to the welcome with thank you notes, gratitude, and lasting connections. Able to connect with persons of varying socio-economic standings, Baker was considered the NAACP’s most successful organizer. Her personalized approach encouraged an increased involvement from existing participants and attracted new members. A true grassroots organizer, Baker believed that the true strength of social change came from the dedication and commitment of its supporters.  Baker wanted the NAACP to be more democratic and championed the idea that real improvement came from widespread local action. These theories helped determine the procedures of the equal and civil rights movements during the mid-20th century. Acutely aware of the double standards that existed for professional men and women, Baker did her best to mitigate their impact as she labored to correct them. She rarely acknowledged or discussed her family or personal life, a practice embraced by many other women who fought in the ranks of the civil rights movement. It was still rare for a woman to hold such a visible, prominent position within an institution. Men arguably benefited by being portrayed as diligent workers and doting family men, while women might be criticized for pursuing ventures outside of domestic affairs, thereby distracting from their goals. By refusing to participate in speculation about private matters, Baker better established herself as a strong force at the forefront of the fight. Family obligation and frustration with the NAACP’s bureaucracy made Baker officially resign her job in 1946. Having taken in her niece, Baker chose to volunteer for the organization rather than work there full-time. Baker concentrated on school desegregation and police brutality. In 1952, she became president of the New York Branch of the NAACP. Her focus never wavered from the objectives of giving women more responsibility and authority, dismantling its hierarchical management structure, and permitting local branches greater autonomy. She gave up her presidency to unsuccessfully run for New York City Council on the Liberal Party ticket. After the Montgomery bus boycott began, Baker co-founded In Friendship, a group that raised money to challenge Jim Crow Laws in the South. From the late 1950s-1960s, Baker lived outside New York, as her activism drew her into the South. There, she applied the skills she had honed in the state. She participated in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which had its public debut at Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom, a demonstration that Baker organized with A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin. Baker, who was the associated director of the SCLC, was the first staff person hired for it. Martin Luther King Jr. was its president. Favoring a personable tactic, the SCLC tried to gain momentum through sermons in church, education, and voter outreach centers. Its first project was the Crusade for Citizenship, a Black voter registration initiative that was managed by Baker. The organization, unfortunately, did not necessarily achieve its primary ambitions. She reportedly still favored more immediate and direct action and felt like an outsider. Among her apparent concerns was that the activism centered around the Black church, an entity that had ample female membership but lacked female leadership. Baker identified the same issues in the civil rights effort and was discouraged. The Greensboro Woolworth sit-ins provided an opportunity for her to aid young, developing activists. She arranged a meeting at Shaw University with the student leaders of the sit-ins, and from that gathering came the formation of the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Under her tutelage and guidance, the SNCC emerged as a vital in the quest for civil rights. It adapted Gandhi's nonviolent principles and was instrumental in the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer. Baker, like many of her contemporaries, understood that voting was integral to manifesting real change. Notably, this organization was comparably open to women. Maintaining her practice of practicing social activism on many fronts, Baker also participated in the Southern Conference Education Fund (SCEF) where she worked with her friend Anne Braden, who she had first met in New York. Its aim was to unite Black and white people to pursue social justice. To this end, the SCEF fundraised for Black activists, pushed for the application of President John F. Kennedy’s civil rights proposals, and attempted to educate southern whites about the evils of racism. Moving back to New York City in 1967, Baker’s advocacy never wavered. In 1972, she traveled the United States as a proponent of the “Free Angela” campaign in support of Angela Davis. She aligned herself with many women’s groups, including the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), a non-profit, non-governmental organization endeavoring “to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make known the causes of war and work for a permanent peace.” Baker died on her 83rd birthday in 1986. She truly lived up to the honor of her nickname, Fundi, a Swahli word that references an individual who teaches a craft to a younger generation.

By Tara Mae Mary Burnett Talbert was a pioneer. Pursuing her goals was a bold move, and while she was frequently the first or only Black woman credited with reaching certain milestones, Talbert made sure she was not the last. Talbert adopted New York as her home state; it was here that she developed her social activism, specifically for suffragist and racial causes. Born on September 17, 1866, Talbert was the only Black woman in her graduating class at Oberlin College. She was not the first Black woman to graduate from the school, that distinction belongs to Mary Jane Patterson, who in 1862, was the first to earn a bachelor’s degree in the country. By the time she graduated in 1886, it was still considered uncommon for white women to pursue higher education. It was even more controversial for Black women to graduate from such institutions. After college, Talbert initially worked as an educator in Arkansas, first teaching at Bethel University and then becoming the assistant principal of the Union High School, the only Black woman to have such a job and the highest position held by a woman in the state. She married William H. Talbert in 1891 and moved to Buffalo. She joined the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church and became involved in social, civil rights, and suffrage committees and activities. It was from New York that she created her national legacy. Women’s clubs tended to be segregated by race, but Talbert saw value in desegregated groups organizing for racial justice and women’s suffrage. She advocated for women working together despite their differences, and through words and deeds, reminded white women that they had a responsibility to support women of other races and ethnicities. Talbert’s involvement in these ventures gave her greater influence in the community and enabled her to expand her outreach. Such clubs allowed women to organize, strategize, and try to consolidate what little clout they had for better social, economic, and political standing. The earliest Black women’s club in America was the Female Benevolent Society of St. Thomas, founded in Philadelphia in 1793. As women fought for the right to vote and equal rights under the law, Black women were particularly vulnerable to retribution and punishment. Yet, they were among those taking the biggest risks and coordinating members and actions for these causes. Talbert identified these clubs as a means for change, and helped establish many of them. Her activism in New York started at the local level, and by 1901, she was a pillar of her community.  At the Baptist Church she created the Christian Culture Congress, a literary club and forum that invited nationally recognized Black leaders, such as Mary Church Terrell and W.E.B. DuBois, to speak there. Perhaps best known for her work on behalf of and in conjunction with organizations, Talbert also independently fought for the inclusion of Black people to be represented in all aspects of American life. Buffalo was the site of the Pan-American Exposition in 1905. A world’s fair, this occasion was to be a defining moment for the status of the city. Talbert protested the exclusion of Blacks from the planning committee and the lack of Black representation in the exhibitions. As a result, a “Negro Exhibit” was added to the featured events and featured the economic and cultural achievements of Black persons. Many of the clubs with which Talbert was affiliated became part of or grew out of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACWC). This umbrella organization, of which Talbert was the sixth president, was primarily focused on advocating and supporting the rights and protections of Black women and children. In many ways the NACWC was more inclusive in its mission than the other primary suffrage organization of the time, the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which did not exclude Black women at the national level, but left it to the discretion of local and state branches. The NACWC was interested in achieving voting rights for all citizens, not just white women. Talbert helped form the Buffalo chapter of the Phyllis Wheatley Club, the first organization in the city to join the NACWC. The club, which still exists today, was created to enrich the lives of Black people and their communities through programs and social reform. Certain chapters worked for desegregation and suffrage. With her support, the club opened a settlement house and helped develop the first chapter of the NAACP in 1910. Talbert later served on the board and as vice president from 1919 until her death in 1923. In 1921, she became the national director of its anti-lynching campaign. The NAACP came about in part due to Talbert’s efficient energy. She co-founded the Niagara Movement, its direct predecessor, the aim of which was to combat disenfranchisement and segregation. Born of a secret meeting of more than 30 Black activists who gathered at Talbert’s house to adopt civil rights resolutions, this undertaking helped activate the civil rights campaign in America. Short lived, the movement was still a catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. Its platform was direct in its objectives and its means to reach them. Helmed by W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter, it was straightforward in its appeal, eschewing accommodating and conciliatory tenets, espoused by figures such as Booker T. Washington. There were different schools of thought regarding how to best accomplish certain civil rights goals. Individuals such as Du Bois, Trotter, and Talbert preferred a direct and forthcoming engagement for civil rights. Certain people, like Washington, thought that a gradual accruement of equality was favorable, so as not to anger or unnerve white citizens and thus hopefully limit the threat of retribution. Despite her involvement, Talbert was not an official member of the Niagara Movement, since it did not initially admit women, and then only did so with the reluctant acquiescence of Trotter. Striving for cooperation and collaboration between white and Black persons, Talbert felt that the only way to make any progress was to have diversified support. As a leader in the intersectional suffragism, Talbert utilized her growing fame as a tool to engage and energize supporters to her cause. Identified as the “best known colored woman in the United States” by her peers, Talbert was fully devoted to anti-racism work, including the anti-lynching movement. She toured the country, speaking out against racism and in support of civil and women’s rights. Truly someone who embodied the axiom “think global, act local,” Talbert’s suffragette and civil rights ambitions were national, but her approach organically advanced from the micro to the macro level. By expanding her reach from its immediate impact to embracing all of America, Talbert was able to hone her skills and then apply them to the country. Her ability to flourish in Black spaces and succeed in white spaces gave her insight and understanding of the importance of uniting across state and racial lines. Talbert was adamant in her determination for Black people, including women, to be granted equal rights. To gain support for this endeavor, she addressed and engaged multi-racial assemblies. Her oration skills enraptured listeners and her message was steadfast: organization for the purpose of social, economic, and political betterment. In 1916, Talbert was named president of the NACWC, a role she held until around 1921. At the International Council of Women’s fifth congress, held in Norway in 1920, she was its Black American delegate. Talbert toured Europe, giving lectures on race relations and women’s rights, and garnering international press attention. A proponent of engaging the media to harness support for suffrage and racial equality, Talbert used it as a tool to appeal to larger audiences, especially women. Talbert understood that in order for there to be any advancement, there had to be consistent, grassroots support. In an article for the NAACP magazine The Crisis, in 1915 she wrote ”It should not be necessary to struggle forever against popular prejudice, and with us as colored women, this struggle becomes two-fold, first because we are women and second because we are colored women.” During World War I, Talbert was stationed in France on behalf of the Red Cross. This alone was a feat; the Red Cross only certified about 90 Black women who were then recruited by the army. Upon the country’s entry into the war, Black nurses had initially tried to enlist in the Army Corps of Nurses. They were rejected because of their race. After the influenza pandemic of 1918 killed thousands of people, they were accepted to bolster the weakened ranks. These women risked their lives in conflict, but they still did not have the right to vote for the representatives who decided whether the country went to war. Talbert sold thousands of dollars of war bonds, offered classes to Black soldiers, and served as a member of the Women’s Committee of National Defense, which maintained war preparedness by uniting different women’s clubs to enhance morale, fundraising, and networking for the war effort. Following the war, Talbert was appointed to the Women’s Committee on International Relations, which chose female nominees for the League of Nations. She continued to raise the profile of the NACWC. Talbert brought national attention to the organization, when under her leadership, it waged a successful campaign to purchase and preserve Frederick Douglass’ home in Anacostia, D.C. Previous attempts to secure and save the home had failed. The year before her death, Talbert was the first Black woman to be awarded the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingam Medal. It is given annually for distinguished achievement by a Black American. She was recognized as the "Former President of the National Association of Colored Women and for continued service to women of color." Talbert died on October 15, 1923. Her impact on race and gender representation resonates to this day.

On August 18, 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women’s suffrage. suffrage [ suhf-rij ] noun the right to vote, especially in a political election. The following article was originally published in the winter 2017 issue of The Historian by Jessica Giannetti “The vast majority of women are engaged at their natural business, i.e the raising and improving of families. It is a big job, requiring all their powers. Shall we crowd more on overladen shoulders?” (The Evening Sun, 1 November 1915) These unbelievable thoughts were a common occurrence in the beginning of the 1900s. Women had yet to secure the right to vote, despite numerous attempts and countless years of effort. “Trust her not; she is fooling thee”, “They do not want it”, “Not their issue” these are just some of the headlines from The Evening Sun in November 1915. Women were thought of as too untrustworthy and uneducated to make such important decisions. In the world we live in today it doesn’t always dawn on us that many of the rights and freedoms we embrace were once sought after and yearned for. 2017 marks the 100 year anniversary of women procuring the right to vote in New York. A battle which began way back in the 1800s with events such as the Seneca Falls Convention and activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Sadly, both women died before the right they fought so hard for was granted, but their efforts were not disregarded. The beginning of the twentieth century brought about a stronger push for woman’s suffrage. Several demonstrations, parades and leagues were formed; not all of them women. In 1912, The National Men’s League for Woman Suffrage was formed. In 1913, the New York chapter for men was established and Three Village’s own Ward Melville joined the fight. “Supporters of woman’s suffrage do not claim for it that it is a universal panacea for all the evils of our government, or that women when they obtain the vote will be less susceptible to temptation than men. We feel that the vote is a right, that no man has a right to set himself upon a pinnacle and cry to women: “So! I am the all-wise, the all-seeing, the all-beneficent creature. To me should be ascribed the willingness and the ability to see and to accomplish all that is best for you.” Who is man that he should do this? Who has said to him that he is by nature the superior and the governor of his mate?” (Ward Melville, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 3 July 1913) The Melville family (Frank, wife Jennie and son Ward) played a large role in the fight for women’s rights. They joined organizations, held and attended weekly meetings and even participated in the 1913 Woman Suffrage parade in New York City. “Frankie and Jane Melville being, young, handsome, & frisky stood in line hours & hours & hours & marched Jane from Washington Sq. to 59” St. Frankie from eleventh St. and Wardie being younger, handsomer (tho that is purely a matter of taste) and friskier mounted a white steed and played Marshall.” (Jennie Melville, Personal Notes, 1913) The Melville Family’s involvement did not stop there. They held formal dinners with notable speakers, organized demonstrations, and participated in several rallies including the rally in October 1915, at Carnegie Hall. As secretary of the Men’s League for Woman Suffrage, Ward Melville was instrumental in planning a horseback or motor car hike to Washington to present the New York State petition for woman suffrage to Congress. In 1915, the Woman Suffrage amendment finally came to a vote in New York State. Even with the large outpouring of support for women’s rights the amendment did not pass. However, Brookhaven was the only town in Suffolk to have a majority of “Yes” votes. Perhaps we have the Melville Family and their involvement to thank for that. It was not until November 1917, seventy nine years after the Seneca Falls Convention that women were granted the same right men had held for centuries. It took generations of people almost a century to have equality among the genders. Today, because of the valiant efforts of these activists voting is a privilege and a right for everyone. New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage flyer North American Woman Suffrage Association flyer “Votes for Women” sash, photographs and graphics from the Melville Family Papers - Three Village Historical Society. Visit the website Long Island and the Woman Suffrage Movement at https://longislandwomansuffrage.com/ to learn more

By Tara Mae Knopf Publishing may be better associated with Alfred A., but it was his wife Blanche who was the driving force behind the establishment and growth of the publishing house. As half of a couple whose passion, romance, and livelihood revolved around books, it was her drive and interest that compelled her to diversify the voices of American literature. An arbiter of good literature and proponent of multicultural voices, Blanche championed the work of Kahlil Gibrain, Willa Cather, and James Baldwin, among others, making them more accessible to a broader audience. Born Blanche Wolf on June 4, 1894, to Jewish parents of disparate backgrounds, she grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Although she apparently told friends that he had been a jeweler in Vienna, her father Julius was a day laborer in Bavaria before eventually becoming the owner of the second biggest children’s hat company in America. Her mother Bertha was the daughter of Lehman Samuels, co-owner of Samuels Brothers, at one time the largest exporter of cattle in the country. As the only child of wealthy parents, her status allowed her freedoms not granted to other women. Even her parents did not see the need to send her to college, but she made the most secondary education at Gardner School for Girls. Located on the Upper East Side, it catered to wealthy Jewish girls. There, Blanche developed her lifelong fervent affection for 19th century novels and French literature, language, and culture. An avid reader with time to pursue her interest, this devotion is what initially connected her and Alfred A. Knopf. At the age of seventeen, she met him at a party at Lawrence Athletic Club in Lawrence, Long Island. They bonded over a shared love of the written word. Blanche frequently preferred the company of books to that of her peers. She was known to walk her Boston terrier while reading a book. In Alfred, she found someone who shared her enthusiasm and this mutual interest was the foundation of their marriage.”... I saw him and [all we did was] talk books, and nobody liked him — my family least of all. But I did, because I had someone to talk books to and we talked of making books.... We decided we would get married and make books and publish them.” So they did. Her family desired that she marry a wealthy Jewish man who could solidify their position in Jewish high society, but she and Alfred had other goals. Alfred’s background was mired in family scandal; his mother Ida committed suicide the same day that his father Samuel had filed for divorce, citing her as an adulteress. Their shared vision for the future led them to form Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1915, with starting capital in the form of $5,000 from his father. Alfred already worked in publishing and counted Joseph Conrad among his friends. They married in 1916. Their son Alfred Jr. was born in 1918. The publishing firm first consisted of three people: Alfred, Blanche, who initially worked as his assistant, and an office boy. Much to Blanche’s chagrin, Samuel would also later join the business. Alfred and Blanche were reportedly standoffish parents, lavishing attention on their new business venture. That Alfred would be focused on his business and not primarily his family was accepted, even expected. That Blanche, when Alfred Jr. was three, hired a nurse to watch him so she could return to the office was less common and conventional. By this point, Knopf, Inc. had already started to gain attention with the American publication of Taras Bulba by Nicolay Gogol, Ideals and Realities in Russian Literature by Peter Kropotkin, and a collection of short stories by Guy de Mauppasant. Financial success was solidified with American publication of Green Mansions by W.M. Hudson; it was the company’s first bestseller. Despite her undeniable contribution to the world of publishing, translations, and American literature, as a woman Blanche still faced dscrimination and a lack of recognition for her contributions. By the end of the 1920s, she and Alfred were living separately, yet kept their commitment to Knopf, Inc. He saw and valued her talent, but despite her unsubstantiated claim of an oral prenup agreement that guaranteed her equal partnership of the company at its inception, Blanche never had more than a 25 percent share of the company. Because of her gender she was denied membership to the all-male Publisher’s Lunch Club and Book Table. These organizations were designed for publishing house employees to share ideas and resources. Asked to give a talk to a women’s college about the future of women in publishing, Blanche declined the invitation, noting that there was “no future worth mentioning.” In addition to finding, soliciting, and signing writers, she located and assigned translators, read manuscripts, designed novels, and composed advertising copy. Blanche was particularly meticulous in selecting translators, in order to achieve precise and consistent translations. For example, Helen T. Lowe-Porter translated the complete works of German writer Thomas Mann. Blanche was peerless in her field; she was the lone woman in a position of power at a publishing house. She provided a myriad of practical and esoteric skills. She learned the technical mechanics of printing, was fluent in French and spoke German, skills that enabled them to attract French and other European writers, and even suggested the borzoi as the company symbol, still used today. As a Jewish owner of a business normally populated by WASP men, Alfred understood that the company needed a unique but profitable plan of action. He later said that as he and Blanche were building the Knopf, Inc., he did not think that a Jewish business could compete with established publishing houses like Harper Brothers and Scribner. This is why Knopf, Inc., initially focused on American printing of European literature. It was a way to gain notice while banking on stories that were already read elsewhere. Blanche, vice president of the firm by 1921, became one of its top literary scouts and contacts. Alfred was more interested in the financial and promotional aspects of the work, Blanche sought out the talent, found the great books, and made new connections. For someone who had previously expressed little practical interest in socialization, it was Blanche who cultivated relationships with new and established talent, both in the United States and abroad. She was the tastemaker of Knopf, Inc. and used her influence to elevate writers the public might not otherwise encounter. Blanche and Alfred frequently traveled internationally, looking for writers. Blanche also increasingly took solo trips in search of talent, which she found. It was she who secured the rights to the works of Sigmund Freud, Albert Camus, Kahlil Gibran, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. Stateside, she procured the writing of Willa Cather and with the assistance of Harlem Renaissance patron Carl van Vechten, facilitated the publication of the movement’s writers, including James Baldwin, Nella Larsen, and Langston Hughes. Knopf, Inc. started an ongoing commitment to Black literature. For someone who had previously expressed a lack of enthusiasm for socializing, many of these professional connections became personal friends. Cather and Blanche were close associates. Blanche and Hughes, in particular, were close; Blanche supported his writing and his business interests, and he considered her a confidant. Mann, who Blanche helped introduce to American audiences, described her as “the soul of the firm.” When World War II made sojourns to Europe impossible, Blanche turned her focus to Latin America. Very few Latinx writers had been published in the United States, and she journeyed extensively through Central and South America, seeking talent, and finding it in authors such as Jorge Amado and Gilberto Freyre. She also ensured the popularization of a uniquely American genre: the hardboiled detective story. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler were among the writers she recruited, whose very popular novels became part of American culture. Her dedication to the work and her esteem of writers, allowed them to entrust their writing to Knopf, Inc. The firm first published Du Beauvoir’s The Second Sex in 1953, four years after its French debut. Printing and promoting the controversial work was a calculated risk that Blanche staunchly defended, explaining that it was an illuminating and vital book that offered important insights for both men and women. The Knopfs were known for their biting fights and public sniping, but they continued to work together until Blanche’s death. In 1957, she became president of Knopf, Inc. and Alfred became chairman. Blanche reportedly was dogged in advancing Knopf. Inc. and had an explosive temper, but maintained warm, helpful, and encouraging relationships with young, talented, unknown writers as well as friendships with other authors. Internationally lauded for her contributions to publishing. Blanche was named a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1949 and an Officer de la Legion d'Honneur in 1960. In Brazil, she was given the Honor of the Southern Cross. By the time she died in 1966, 27 Knopf writers had won the Pulitzer Prize and 16 writers had won the Nobel Prize. Blanche’s lifelong fervor for the written word created a enduring literary legacy.

ephem-era | \ i-ˈfe-mər-ə , -ˈfem-rə \ plural ephemera also ephemerae\ i-ˈfe-mər-ē , -ˈfem-rē \ or ephemeras Definition of ephemera 1 : something of no lasting significance -usually used in plural 2 ephemera plural : paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephemera) “It comes to us through Latin from the Greek epi (about), and hemeris (day)...The word, ephemera, is used to denote the transient everyday items of paper-mostly printed-that are manufactured specifically to use and throw away...Above and beyond its immediate purpose, it expresses a fragment of social history, a reflection of the spirit of its time..(Rickards, Maurice, This is Ephemera: Collecting Printed Throwaways, Grossamer Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 1977) At the time of his death in 1998 Maurice Rickards was working on a much more detailed work about ephemera. In 2000 his The Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator, and Historian was published, having been edited and completed by his associates. This 400+ page book contains over 1000 categories of ephemera with detailed descriptions, histories, and examples. This new volume reflects an expansion of the “categories of ephemera that have emerged since the 1980s” but, as pointed out by the authors, is by no means a complete list. “Another important aspect of ephemera…is the fascination they hold for the collector, either for their content, their appearance, or both. There is, of course, a link between the use of ephemera as evidential material by historians and the interests of collectors…..Collectors provide a useful service in preserving items and, thereafter, making them available for historians to study.” As with many collection categories there is an organization for collectors of ephemera. In 1975 The Ephemera Society was founded in the UK by Maurice Rickards. http://www.ephemera-society.org.uk/ In 1980 the Ephemera Society of America (ESA) evolved “to serve as a link between and among collectors, archivists, researchers and dealers, and to encourage interest in all aspects of vintage paper.” https://www.ephemerasociety.org/. The organization hosts an annual conference and Ephemera Fair in Old Greenwich, CT. Checkout this link for some great examples of ephemera and other information. https://www.ephemerasociety.org/definition/ How, what and where to collect? Where can you find ephemera? Check out your local antique shop, flea market, online auction site, or specialty collector’s fair. With so many choices how could one get started collecting? Think about a particular topic. If you love gardening how about collecting gardening or flower related items. For example, seed packets, catalogues, trade cards, or cigarette cards. Of course, many of the specific categories have their own collecting organizations. Paper and postcards have a huge following with shows throughout the country with several shows a year in Manhattan and the tri-state area. There is also a Long Island Postcard Club. What do you like to collect? Search the internet for your favorite collection topic and look for organizations or collector’s groups. From the obvious to the obscure, ephemera has something for everyone. Among some of the categories that are readily identifiable: Advertising material including posters, trade cards, labels, etc. Broadsides & posters Business related items including billheads, bills & receipts, letterhead, stock certificates, etc. There is some wonderful artwork found on old billheads, stationery, stock certificates, etc. Business cards and calling cards Catalogues Cigarette cards What is a cigarette card? Learn about them and the huge variety of topics and themes within this category. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_card Greeting cards - holidays, birthday, etc. Magazines, Newspapers, etc. Matchcovers Menus Whether it is a restaurant menu, the menu for a banquet or other special dinner or celebration, whether handwritten or printed, or perhaps from a European cruise, think of the information that can be gleamed by the historian or the researcher- changes or trends in cuisine, the evolution of ethnic foods and culture, food costs, and even the artwork on a menu. The New York Public Library has a collection of over 17,500 menus which are currently being transcribed and indexed “dish by dish”. Check out their collection at http://menus.nypl.org/ Postcards There are so many topics to choose and a category for everyone, from your hometown to those of your ancestors, holidays, animals, people, transportation, specific types of buildings i.e. hotels, outhouses (yes, even outhouses), etc. Most dealers will have their cards arranged in categories for easy browsing. For some ideas on how to get started and what to look for https://www.wikihow.com/Collect-Postcards Real Estate brochures School items - report cards, graduation programs, newspapers, etc. Seed packets Sports-programs, tickets, etc. Tickets-transportation, movies, concerts, theater, sporting events, etc. Trade cards 1000s of topics to choose from for specific products, companies, occupations, illustrations, comic themes, nursery rhymes, etc. There were stock image cards which individual businesses could choose from and personalize with their own business name, etc. such as the Willis & Snow and Stryker cards below. Therefore, you can find the same design used by multiple businesses from multiple locations. Large companies such as J. P. Coats had their own specific designs. These cards were often collected at the time they were produced and pasted into scrapbooks. Cards often came in a series so collectors look to complete the set. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_card Transportation related items-time tables, maps, travel brochures, automobile brochures, etc. And countless other topics....

By Tara Mae Madam C. J. Walker was a pioneer. Listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the first self-made female American millionaire, her legacy inspired generations after her. A philanthropist in both principle and practice, she was a responsible employer who created social services and other opportunities to benefit her employees. Many of the extremely monied families of her day were either born into wealth or accrued it as robber barons. Born into poverty, Walker used her financial and social capital as a means of improving the lives of her family, her workers, and society. A single mother, Walker did not have the luxury of failure. She had to provide for herself and her daughter. Walker understood the needs of her employees because she had experienced those same needs. The youngest child of former slaves, she was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, the only child born free. Orphaned by the age of seven, she was married by the age of 14, and widowed by 20. Walker’s business grew from her own experience: the products she made were ones that she herself wanted. As a child, Walker worked as a domestic servant and married so young to escape her brother-in-law’s abuse. She had three months of formal education: any other schooling came from Sunday school literacy lessons. After her first husband’s death, she and her daughter A’Leila moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where three of Walker’s brothers lived. She remarried to a man who proved himself to be drunk, abusive, and unfaithful. Resolute in her ambition to earn enough money to give A’Lelia a proper education, Walker worked as a laundress; A’Lelia went to Knoxville College in Tennessee. Walker forged a life for herself, independent of her ne’er-do-well husband. She sang in the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, and befriended the women congregants. Her business plan came from her own needs. Having suffered from dandruff, hair loss, and other scalp ailments, Walker was driven to pursue hair care solutions. She initially learned from her brothers, who were barbers, and then became a commission agent for Black beauty entrepreneur Annie Malone, who would become her top competitor when she developed her own line, and accuse her of stealing formulas. The formulas each woman used were variations on the same home remedies that had been around for at least 100 years. Walker left her husband in 1903. During this time, Walker started developing her own product line. She promoted herself as a cosmetic cream retailer and independent hairdresser. Her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker was her business partner. It was through this marriage that she adopted the name Madam C.J. Walker. She chose “Madam” as a reference to female pioneers of the French beauty industry and as a way to discourage white people from calling her “Auntie.” Selling her homemade products door-to-door, Walker instructed Black women on hair routines designed for their hair textures. After living in and expanding her business to places such as Denver, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis, Indiana, Walker built a factory, hair salon, and beauty school that trained her sales agents. She established a laboratory to further research. And most of her employees, including those in positions of power, were women. A’Lelia also convinced Walker to open an office and beauty salon in Harlem in 1913; it became a Black cultural center. She and her daughter settled in New York in 1916. By this time, Walker and her husband had divorced. She continued to train women to become “beauty culturists” who promoted her “The Walker System,” a hair care routine that was designed to stimulate hair growth for Black women. Walker was the first to popularize hot combs, but maintained that any hair straightening results were a side effect not the goal. By 1917, the company claimed that it had trained 20,000 women. Walker’s training went beyond teaching them how to work within her business model. She provided instruction on how to budget and form their own businesses. Walker encouraged them to become financially independent and gave them the means to do it. The women traveled throughout the United States and Carribean, offering Walker’s products. Walker personally traveled throughout the country, Carribean, and Central America to train employees. She understood the power of good pr and advertising. In addition to her promotional tours, Walker prominently advertised in primarily Black publications. Through these exercises, her products became very well-known and gained a strong fanbase. As Walker’s empire and fortune grew, so did her charity. Perhaps inspired by her own journey, she initially focused on assisting individuals who demonstrated an interest in self-improvement, but later focused on causes and organizations. At the annual meeting of the National Negro Business League in 1912, she noted, “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there, I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground." With this endeavor in mind, she founded the Madam C.J. Walker Benevolent Association in 1916. It was staffed by employees of her company, and embodied Walker’s belief that the good will and publicity generated by charitable efforts was also beneficial to business. The following year, motivated by the model of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), Walker began organizing her workers into local and state clubs. This led to the founding of the National Beauty Culturists and Benevolent Association of Madam C. J. Walker Agents, which was the precursor to Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Culturists Union of America. Membership cost 25 a month, death benefits were included, and participants were privy to business conferences that featured Walker as the keynote speaker. These gatherings were designed to encourage networking as well as personal and professional economic growth. Walker’s move to New York coincided with her increased involvement in political and social activism.The same energy she used to grow her business, Walker applied to her philanthropy. She concentrated on improving the lives of Black people, particularly Black women. This grew naturally out of her business model. Walker was a major donor the anti-lynching campaigns run by the NAACP and NACW. She spearheaded the movement to save the former home of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C. Holding court in the social milieu of Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington, Walker used her wealth as a resource while avoiding ideological clashes. Rather than choose a side in the schism between DuBois and Washington, Walker determined to collaborate with any individual whose industry was to “advance the race.”  Upon her arrival in New York, she hired Vertner Tandy, the first licensed Black architect in New York City, to design her home in Irvington-on-Hudson. Dubbed Villa Lewaro, Waker planned for the house to be a place to gather for Blacks and an inspiration for others to pursue their goals. The first event she hosted there was to honor Emmett Jay Scott, the Assistant Secretary for Negro Affairs of the U.S. Department of War. During World War I, Walker was a staunch advocate of the Circle for Negro War Relief, which fought for the care and welfare of Black soldiers. She championed a training camp for Black army officers. As a member of the NAACP executive committee, she helped arrange the Silent Protest Parade in New York City, which drew more than 8,000 Blacks protesting a riot in East Saint Louis that had killed 39 Blacks. In 1918, the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs recognized her for having made the largest individual monetary contribution to the fight to save Douglass’ house. Prior to her death in 1919, Walker promised $5,000 to the NAACP anti-lycning fund, at that point the biggest gift the organization had ever received. Her will dictated that two-thirds of any future business profits go to charity, and she bequeathed nearly $100,000 to institutions, orphanages, and individual people. Leaving behind a legacy of good work, Walker died the richest Black woman in America. The products that brought her fortune still exist today. Walker’s true wealth came from the programs and ideals she upheld.

By Tara Mae Lee Krasner’s career as an abstract expressionist artist was at times overshadowed by that of her husband and fellow artist Jackson Pollock. It was her consistency and steadfastness that, for a time, enabled his creativity to translate into consistent productivity. Her stability is what enabled him to work; her dedication to her art is what allowed her to thrive. More classically trained than Pollock, her knowledge balanced his experimentation. By the time Krasner met Pollock, she was already a working painter in her own right. Born Lena Krasner, on October 27, 1908, to Orthodox Jewish immigrant parents, Krasner grew up in Brooklyn and pursued art from a young age. She studied at the Washington Irving High School for Girls specifically because it offered an art major. Krasner then studied at the Women’s Art School of Cooper Union College and finished the coursework necessary for obtaining a teaching certificate in art. She also studied art education at the National Academy of Art, from which she graduated in 1932. Krasner had more formal art instruction than Pollock, taking classes on the Old Masters, human anatomy, etc. She was very adept at rendering anatomically correct figures and was impacted by post-impressionism. Well-versed in different types of art, especially cubism, the progression of her work reflects her life’s journey. As her form and style evolved, Krasner critiqued methods she had learned at the academy. She studied with Hans Hoffman, who had been friends with artists such as Matisse, whose work Krasner deeply admired, and Picasso. He encouraged her to explore abstract expressionism, and mused that her work was so good that “you wouldn’t know it was done by a woman.” Abstract artists were generally an inclusive group, but many critics and galleries were not: they preferred the work of men. She mused,  “I was considered a ‘dame’ even if I was a painter too.” Established in the art scene and friends with many impressionists, she did not meet Pollock until the early 1940s when they each exhibited at the McMillen Gallery. They married in 1945 and purchased a home in Springs Long Island, on the outskirts of East Hampton, with money loaned to them by Pollock’s patron, Peggy Gugenheim. This home and converted studio, now the Pollock-Krasner House and StudyCenter, would be the scene for artistic triumph and personal strife. Their artistry thrived in their new environment, enveloped in the natural outdoor beauty of their new home. Krasner and Pollock maintained ties to New York City, but preferred the tranquility and inspiration found in East Hampton. They enjoyed a domestic routine of cooking, baking, maintaining the house and grounds, gardening, and  frequently hosting friends who sought a temporary reprieve from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Krasner managed Pollock’s career and nurtured her work. Their art influenced each other. Krasner believed in his talent but did not sacrifice her interests for his career; she sought to balance them. Pollock benefitted from her technical expertise and business savvy. Pollock converted a spacious barn on the property into his studio, which is where he constructed his most famous splatter paintings. She had use of the house: the much more confined upstairs until it got too cold, and then the somewhat cramped downstairs, which limited the scope of her creativity for practical purposes. Always interested in collages and murals, some of the art she created was based on artistic expression combined with pragmatic reality. The space Krasner used downstairs had no privacy, so Krasner adjusted accordingly. Pollock suggested she compose a mosaic. They each contributed materials: bits of tile, broken glass, etc. Krasner incorporated collages into the work. Throughout her career, she would revisit mosaics and collages. Krasner had a specific way of moving on from certain works: she would destroy them. From remaining scraps, she then would then occasionally fashion something new. Pollock and Krasner’s marriage was visited by issues of alcoholism and infidelity. Both his. A brilliant artist, he was his own worst enemy. Krasner channelled her frustration and upset into a project begun shortly before Pollock’s death in a car crash. The Earth Green Series (1956-1959) includes themes of anger, pain, guilt into this project. These large-scale action paintings depict the processing of her grief. Lee Krasner, Prophecy, 1956. Private Collection. Source: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/pkhouse/our-story/krasner.php Arguably all artists’ work contain biographical elements. Krasner felt her work should be viewed through the lens of her biography. The fluidity of how she moved through mediums and styles is reminiscent of how she calibrated her life before, during, and after her time with Pollock. His creative output in Springs was documented from the onset, Krasner’s projects remain less known. Krasner helped Pollock develop his technique and exposed him to the credos of modern art. She was a primary contact for critics, collectors, and other artists. Pollock trusted her opinion above all others. The two artists supported each other artistically, if not always emotionally. She taught Hoffman’s approach to art to Pollock, and he shared with her the philosophy of American Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton, with whom he had trained. These views of painting were largely in contrast, but Krasner and Pollock excelled at combining disparate philosophies to create one artistic thesis. Krasner welcomed Pollock’s advice and insights into her work. Pollock had the advantage of Krasner’s input, acumen, and education. Having so thoroughly studied different art forms, Krasner was his esteemed guide into the world and nature of modern art,  Her network of friends and acquaintances was utilized to advance Pollock’s work. They partnered with Clement Greenberg, an up-and-coming art critic, who counted Krasner as an ally. Guggenheim continued to be an active sponsor. While Krasner fostered a stable environment and was a champion of his work, she was neither Pollock’s fixer nor keeper. His demons did not relinquish their hold. By 1955, their marriage was falling apart due to his drinking problem and affair with Ruth Kligman. In 1956, when Krasner was in Europe visiting friends, he was killed in a car crash that resulted from his drunk driving. One of his passengers, Edith Metzger, was also killed. Now embodying the role of artist’s widow and guardian of his legacy, Krasner strove to protect and preserve Pollock’s image while pouring herself into her art. Krasner’s productivity alludes to her mourning period and its effects. The Earth Green Series strains against conventional definition, embodying multiple genres. The color palette consists mainly of pink “flesh tones” with blood-red accents. Figures are hybrids of female and male body parts and plant-esque structures. The Umber Series (1959-1961) was constructed during a time when she was suffering from insomnia, still working through Pollock’s death, and dealing with the recent death of her mother. Utilizing the method of “action painting” which involves spontaneously splashing, dribbling, or smearing paint on a canvas, a practice Pollock certainly embraced, Krasner painted in artificial light and traded vibrant colors for muted grey, black, white, and brown hues. The Primary Series sees a shift to bright colors as well as plant-like and floral shapes. In 1962, Krasner had an aneurysm, fell, and broke her wrist. As she recovered, she painted with her nondominant left hand. To compensate for this, she would frequently apply paint directly onto the canvas from the tube. Here, her physical being overwhelmed the emotional state,  since she had less control over her creations. As she healed, her work became more nuanced. Her career remained intertwined with that of Pollock, but as the 1960s gave way to the 1970s and the feminist art movement became more mainstream, critics and art scholars began to better appreciate Krasner and her work, separate from her deceased husband. Krasner continued to create and exhibit her art while promoting Pollock’s. She died on June 19, 1984, at the age of 75.

Setauket, NY - Three Village Historical Society, an educational nonprofit, has been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to be used to rebuild, restore, and repurpose the Dominic-Crawford Barn, a historically significant building from circa 1847. The Society, which exists to educate the public about this area’s rich cultural heritage as well as protect and preserve local history, procured the barn with the express intention of reinstating its structural historic integrity and converting it into usable space for both the organization and the public. The money will go directly to this project. The Society’s plan is to transform the barn into an education center while maintaining its historic integrity. Located in a field at the Society’s headquarters on 93 North Country Road, it will include teaching facilities with necessary tools and aids, exhibit space that will be flexible and interchangeable, as well as archive facilities that will be readily accessible to staff, local educators, students, and the general public. The center will allow the Society to supplement the space currently being used at the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket and provide accessible, climate-controlled, secure storage for the preservation of the Society’s many historical artifacts. The Society also plans for the center to include research space with state of the art capabilities, meeting room for small and moderate-sized community groups, and facilities for special community activities and events. With the RDL Gardiner Foundations paramount support, along with a DASNY grant obtained through Assemblyman Steve Englebright, the Society will have a new educational facility that increases meeting and exhibition opportunities for the public. This will enable the Society to expand its educational offerings to larger groups for our out-of-school programs, lecturers, exhibits, and events. It will allow the Society to increase its outreach as well as that of the Gardiner Foundation. Established in 1987 and currently led by Executive Director Kathryn M. Curran, the primary focus of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is the study of New York State history, with an emphasis on Suffolk County. Robert David Lion Gardiner, who passed away in August 2004, was the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY. To learn more about the Gardiner Foundation, its origins and purpose, please visit www.rdlgfoundation.org. For more information about Three Village Historical Society, its mission and programs, please visit www.tvhs.org.

By Tara Mae Elizabeth “Eliza” Schuyler Hamilton is credited with preserving the legacy of her husband Alexander. However, until his death, she had little say in controlling her own narrative. With the betrayal of the Reynolds Pamphlet and the illicit details it contained, Alexander told the world his secrets and shared their story without her permission. Upon his death, it was Eliza who told his story and took control of his narrative. In doing so, she reclaimed her own. Born on August 9, 1757, to a wealthy, socially and politically connected family, Eliza was described as pious and loyal. She and Alexander had a whirlwind courtship, marrying on December 14, 1790, mere months after meeting. Hers was not the most dizzying of Schuyler sisters romances: two of them eloped. Eliza and Alexander eventually had eight children and raised a ninth, a foster child named Frances “Fanny” Antill, for 10 years. They reportedly also took in other orphaned or neglected children at various points; Eliza called them “little Alexanders.” In 1797, when Eliza was pregnant with their sixth child, Alexander’s affair with Maria Reynolds was first exposed. Initially she did not believe the gossip. Any such doubts were refuted with his publication of the Reynolds Pamphlet that August. The document cleared his name of any political wrongdoing but deeply humiliated and wounded Eliza.  Not only did the papers ruin any chance Hamilton had for winning higher political office, it also opened Eliza to scrutiny and ridicule. One newspaper indicated that Eliza had to be a wicked woman to have such a wicked husband. Eliza, eight months pregnant, went to stay with her parents in Albany, where son William Stephen was born. She returned to New York City in early September because her eldest child, Philip, had contracted typhus and the local upstate doctor was unable to treat him. Eliza and Alexander would eventually reconcile and have two more children, including one born following Philip’s death from his duel with George Eacker, and named in his honor. Philip’s death had triggered an emotional breakdown in Alexander and Eliza’s eldest daughter Angelica. Different accounts from the time indicate that the seventeen year old retreated into a childlike state, and that her parents were unable to draw her out of it. With Alexander’s death, Eliza became Angelica’s primary caregiver for many years; she was eventually placed in the guardianship of a doctor who was a close family friend. Alexander died from injuries sustained in the duel with Aaron Burr on July 12, 1804, and Eliza, while grieving, fought to keep what remained of her family intact. She sustained many losses in the years surrounding Philip and Alexander’s deaths, including that of her father, mother, and two of her siblings. Eliza did not have the luxury of falling apart; her family’s future was at stake and her loved ones were suffering. Her investment in her husband’s legacy was personal and pragmatic. Alexander left behind substantial debts, and Eliza did not have the means to pay them. The Grange, the Hamilton family home, was repossessed by creditors and sold at public auction, it was purchased by a group of Alexander’s rich friends who then sold it back to Eliza for half the price. Described as impulsive by male acquaintances in her youth, she was known for her strong will and tenacity. As a widow, she channelled her determination into protecting Alexander’s name, advocating to preserve his documents and other writings, caring for her family, and pursuing philanthropic projects. A woman of faith and conviction, she was steadfast in pursuing these goals. During Alexander’s life, she helped him shape his story. Early in their marriage, he wrote a 31 page letter to financier and Founding Father Robert Morris, Jr., describing much of what would develop into his financial plan for the United States. Parts of this missive are in Eliza’s handwriting. While he was composing The Federalist Papers, Eliza was the emissary between him and his publisher. She also copied parts of his defense of the Bank of the United States, and acted as advisor and audience as Alexander drafted Washington’s Farewell Address. Years later she would vehemently defend his authorship of that speech. Guardian of both their narratives, at some point Eliza burned most of the love letters from Alexander. While the timeframe for this action is unknown and no one can attest to her exact motivation, doing this enabled her to control each of their legacies. A prolific letter writer, Alexander is of course best known for his political writings. Eliza, to the best of her ability, did not leave behind any correspondence that she did not want to share. She was able to take some secrets with her. A champion for different causes, including those related to Alexander’s own struggle as an orphan, Eliza was more than just the keeper of the flame. Her philanthropy began before her husband’s death and was measured yet momentous. Eliza fully devoted herself to these endeavors. Some of her most impassioned work was on behalf of women and orphans. In 1798, she accepted her friend Isabella Graham’s invitation to join the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children. This work would expand into co-founding, in 1806,  the Orphan Asylum Society, the first private orphanage in New York City. First serving as its second directress (vice president) and then as its directress (president) in 1821, a role she held for the next 27 years, she remained a tireless advocate well into her 90s, advocating for the orphans, raising awareness and money, collecting supplies, and supervising the care and education of more than 700 children. She was affiliated with it for 42 years. The organization, today known as Graham Windham, is still in existence, offering support and outreach to youth and families. It is the oldest non-sectarian and nonprofit children’s welfare organization in the United States. The Hamilton Free School was established by Eliza in 1818; it was the first school in Washington Heights, which was then sparsely populated. The school charged no tuition because she believed that all children, including poor children, deserved education even if it was only so that they would be able to read the Bible. Largely impoverished after Alexander’s death, Eliza struggled to provide for their children’s education. Phillip II grew up in a much different socio-economic class than his eldest siblings had enjoyed. Known to be fiercely loyal, Eliza defended Alexander against his detractors. She never forgave James Monroe for his part in exposing the Reynolds affair, and wanted a formal apology for his conduct. Deeply protective of Alexander’s name, love was presumably not her only motivation: his reputation was his primary bequeathal to his children. As they grew older, she enlisted some of them to help her sort through his papers. With the assistance of their son John Church Hamilton, Eliza reorganized Alexander’s letters, documents, and compositions for publication. Thanks to her initial assistance and insistence, he published two biographies and an anthology of his father’s work. Charitable and generous towards those less fortunate than she, Eliza continued to endure money struggles. Once Jefferson was no longer president, she petitioned Congress to reinstate the pension to which Alexander’s dependents were entitled. In 1782, he was a member of the Continental Congress that granted army pensions to former soldiers. Alexander had been a Lieutenant Colonel but due to the conflict of interest, he refused any such compensation. Her request, first made in 1809, was denied; seven years later Congress passed legislation that awarded her five years pay, a full pension. Sale of The Grange for $25,000 in 1833, when she was 76 years old, provided additional security. With that money, she purchased a townhouse in which she lived with two of her grown children, Eliza and Alexander, and their spouses for the next several years. At the age of 91, Eliza moved to Washington, D.C. to live with her daughter who had relocated there. Neither the new surroundings nor her advanced age slowed her advocacy. She spoke out about Alexander’s contributions to the establishment of the country. Eliza compiled his papers, specifically The Federalist Papers, for publication. She successfully lobbied Congress to purchase and publish his works, which were added to the Library of Congress. Eliza died at the age of 97. Without her continuous efforts over the span of 50 years, her husband’s impact on the creation of the nation would have been buried. For a man so intent on controlling his story, in the end it was Eliza who, while raising her voice, made sure Alexander’s was heard.

Whether it was a town, community or high school team, baseball has always been a popular sport in the Three Village area. Residents of all ages would turn out to see the teams play and root for the local heroes from the community. Local newspapers published the weekly schedule, team line-ups, stats, and rankings. Accounts of the games and local rivalries dominated the local sports page. These old fields are now long gone, overgrown or covered with stores and houses: the field across from Capital One Bank in Setauket, the field at 25A and Van Brunt Manor Rd., the field at Cedar St. and 25A, the field at the Setauket Elementary School, or the one at Ridgeway and Tallmadge Gate and of course, the field at the old Setauket Union School which once stood on the hill behind Mario’s restaurant. The Suffolk Giants was a local semi-professional baseball team playing town teams throughout Suffolk County. The Giants played from the early 20th century until the outbreak of World War II. Initially the team was associated with St. James (playing on the St. James Base Ball Club field), then Port Jefferson, and finally Setauket. Their field was located along Ridgeway Avenue at what is now Tallmadge Gate. After the war, Robert Treadwell returned home and wanted to get the games going again. He formed the Suffolk Giants Juniors. The team consisted of returning veterans and some younger players. The team’s home field was located on Chicken Hill on the south side of 25A opposite August Street. There they played until 1949. Some of the players went on to play for the Setauket AC (Athletic Club) team, formerly an all white team. A number of players were drafted into the majors, but instead found themselves drafted into service during the Korean Conflict, while another chose to go on to college. The images in this blog of the Suffolk Giants Juniors playing on their home field were provided by Everett Hart and Carlton “Hub” Edwards. They were originally posted on the TVHS website in 2015 and cannot be reproduced without permission. Information on the team and its players is provided by Hub Edwards. How did Mr. Edwards get his nickname? He was named for Carl Hubbell an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Giants from 1928 to 1943.