Katya Reimann: Writer & Artist

William Merritt Chase

11/15/2019

My mother took this photograph of me and my Dad in 2016. We were visiting the William Merritt Chase exhibition at the Boston MFA.

We got a wheelchair for my mom, so she wouldn't have to walk. She was extremely nervous about the outing. In her last years (my mother passed in 2018), she had diminished lung capacity owing to a severely dysfunctional diaphragm. We had a big argument in the car before we got to the museum.

*At* the museum, we had a wonderful, wonderful time. WMC may not have been the most original painter of the 19th century, but he is a painter's painter, with luscious brushstrokes and a sensualist's love of color. And he's one of those 19th century artists who got to spend a lot of time on beautiful beaches, and in lovely country homes, shaded by old trees. I'm glad I have this picture, to remember.

William Merritt Chase could have been another John Singer Sargent, but--he isn't. Sargent. Had something bigger or more complex going on. This said--I'd be happy to have a good WMC at home on one of my walls!

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Reconstruction

11/14/2019

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I'll be moving things around structurally here on the page over the next week. It makes more sense to have my updates on the "Landing" Page.

This has been done hastily, I wanted to get it changed over before the distractible perfectionist in me got busy.

In the meantime, the header picture is a generic picture of Lake George, New York (a place I love) because my photo library isn't available to me on this computer.

All good wishes for a tremendous fall! --Katya

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Frances Carpenter, Distinguished Folklorist

11/6/2019

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I am disgusted by Wikipedia's entry.

Largely because I have been trying to find a book which I think is called Tales of a Persian Grandmother, and Wikipedia gives me only this:

Further reading

Carpenter, Frances. South American Wonder Tales. Chicago: Follett Publishing (1969). ISBN 0695482149
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Chinese Grandmother: 30 Traditional Tales from China. Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing (2001). ISBN 0804834091
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Korean Grandmother: 32 Traditional Tales from Korea. Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing (1989). ISBN 0804810435
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Russian Grandmother. 1933

I am not grateful that this Wikipedia entry offers me access to recent editions. I need a proper bibliography that gives me some sense of how Carpenter's mind was moving as she worked on these different projects.

But, as always, the gifts the Internet has given don't really do anything for us unless someone takes the time to care. Wikipedia tells me this: "She wrote children's books and work about women artists."

Okay. So where is the bibliography of books about the women artists? WHICH women artists?

*******

It's a few hours later, and I have a few more ideas about Ms. Carpenter's writing:

Frances Aretta Carpenter [1890 – 1972]

First (and this is a minor note)--I don't think that the Frances Carpenter who I am interested in wrote the two schoolgirl novel's published by Blackie's in the UK: "The Rebel Schoolgirl" and "Judy of the Circus." Possible? Yes. Likely? No.

Second...Wikipedia's entry (which is the best we have) totally sucks. Smith College's (& I'd hope someone there would care) is worse.

Frances Carpenter lived an extraordinary life in travel and in writing. She graduated from Smith College in 1912, and spent the next eight years collaborating with her father, a noted travel writer, taking photographs and co-writing his books. She married, at thirty, William Chapin Huntington, a career diplomat with whom she traveled all over the world, both for his work--and for hers. They had two children. Frances, under her own name, continued to produce her books. She collected hundreds of folktales from around the world, producing a book a year out of these journeys from 1926 through 1969.

And... what good books many of them were. These were folk tales that captured my youthful imagination and made me a reader. Imprinted vividly in my memory is a story about a Persian Princess who was transformed into a beautiful white cat by an evil sorcerer. She was rescued by her beloved--who rubbed her all over with a magic balm. But--he left one small, soft patch of beautiful white fur to remain one of her shoulders. Because--he wanted them to remember the travails they had suffered for their love, and to be grateful. Will the stories be as compelling as I remember? I don't know. But at the time and place in my life that I read them, they opened up my world.

For many years, I had to work to convince myself that these books were not a figment of my imagination. Inter-Library loans were surprisingly unhelpful. But a decade or more passed, and searches on the Internet got stronger (also stranger, but that's another story). Finally, I found the first of the books.

Frances's father died in 1924. It appears that her first books were efforts to complete his unfinished projects. But in 1928, she started producing work for the American Book Company, her father's publisher, in her own right. Tales of a Basque Grandmother, the first of her "Grandmother" books, appeared in 1930. From there forward, she lived for the next forty years an active writing life. I think I have reconstructed the majority of the publications on her booklist (see below). If she did any work on women artists, as Wikipedia claims... well, perhaps it was under her married name.

I am still searching for Tales of a Persian Grandmother. Today, I have begun to convince myself that the story that I'm looking for is probably in Wonder Tales of Dogs & Cats, and my Persian Grandmother collection doesn't exist.

But maybe it *is* out there.

Here's hoping.

Frances Carpenter Bibliography

Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Food We Eat: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1925.
Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Clothes We Wear: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1926.
Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Houses We Live In: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1928.

Carpenter, Frances. Ourselves & Our City: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1928
Carpenter, Frances. The Ways We Travel: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1929
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Basque Grandmother, ill. Pedro Garmendia. New York: Junior Literary guild/Lippincott, 1930.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of Eskimo Land: Papik & Natsek, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1931.
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Russian Grandmother. NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1933.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of the Arabian Desert: Adi & Hamda, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1934.
Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of the Netherlands: Dirk & Dientje. New York: American Book Co., 1935.
Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of Norway: Ola & Marit. New York: American Book Co., 1936.
Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of China: Ah Hu and Ying Hwa, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1937.
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, ill. Malthe Hasselriis. NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1937.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Neighbors at Work & Play: Here, There, Then & Now. New York: American Book Co., 1939.
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Swiss Grandmother, ill. E. Bieler. Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, New York, 1940.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of Switzerland: Hansli & Heidi, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1941.
Carpenter, Frances. Our South American Neighbors. New York: American Book Co., 1942.
Carpenter, Frances. The Pacific: Its Lands & Peoples. New York: American Book Co., 1944.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Neighbors Near & Far. New York: American Book Co., 1946.
Carpenter, Frances. Canada & Her Northern Neighbors, New York: American Book Co. , 1946.
Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Korean Grandmother: 32 Traditional Tales from China. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1947.
Carpenter, Frances. Children of Our World. New York: American Book Co., 1949.
Carpenter, Frances. Caribbean Lands: Mexico, Central America, & the West Indies. New York: American Book Co., 1950.
Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Horses & Heroes, ill. William D. Hayes. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1952.
Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Dogs and Cats, ill. Ezra Jack Keats. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1955.
Carpenter, Frances. Children of Our World. New York: American Book Co., 1956.
Carpenter, Frances. Our Homes & Our Neighbors. New York: American Book Co., 1956.
Carpenter, Frances. Pocahontas & Her World, ill. Langdon Hihn. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1957.
Carpenter, Frances, in Best in Children's Books, Volume 24. Nelson Doubleday, 1959.
Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Seas & Ships, ill. Peter Spier. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1959.
ed. Frances Carpenter. Carp's Washington. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1960,
Carpenter, Frances. The Elephant’s Bathtub: Wonder Tales From The Far East., ill. Hans Guggenheim. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc., 1962.
Carpenter, Frances. African Wonder Tales, ill. Joseph Escourido. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963.
Carpenter, Frances. The Mouse Palace, ill. Adrienne Adams. McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1964.
Carpenter, Frances. Holiday in Washington, ill. George Fulton. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1966.
Carpenter, Frances. The Story of East Africa. Wichita, Kan.: McCormick-Mathers Pub. Co., 1967.
Carpenter, Frances. The Story of Korea. Cincinnati: McCormick-Mathers Pub. Co., 1969.
Carpenter, Frances. South American Wonder Tales, ill. Ralph Creasman. Chicago: Follett, 1969.
Carpenter, Frances. People from the Sky; Ainu Tales from Northern Japan, ill. Betty Fraser. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972.
Carpenter, Frances. Spooks and Scoundrels - SRA Pilot Library IIb Book 14. 1976.

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Baroque Pearls

11/4/2019

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I find these forms irresistible. This one =>
is in the Wallace Collection in London, England.

I'll be visiting London in January, 2020 (if all goes as planned). It is a very, very long time since I've traveled for myself. I am... having some ambivalent feelings, trying to understand what this trip is for. To see beloved friends? Certainly. But... why else?

Among other ventures, I'm hoping to see the William Blake Exhibit at the Tate Gallery. That-that will certainly be a privilege for me. But one gallery visit (or two, if I visit twice) won't take a full two weeks, which is what I'm booked for.

I'm pretty familiar with Renaissance ornaments like the Canning Jewel (actually a 19th century resurgence of the form). Originally these jewels would have been worn on the big, puffy brocade sleeves worn by wealthy cavaliers of the 15th, 16th, 17th centuries. But this hare, which I came across just today, was a new one for me.

Who knows why anything catches one's imagination? But this one did (I also like the second one I found <= once I started searching--this one on the market by auction--not that I'll be putting a bid in, but I love it!)

Will I visit the Wallace, and try to see this funny, lovely thing? Maybe.

Mostly, though, I love the idea of holding these things in my hands, and examining the cleverness with which the artisan made them.

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Contact Katya

click above to bring up Katya's contact information.

Sites I recommend

These ones are maintained by long-time personal friends.

William Reimann
is a consummate artist. There are so many images to enjoy on this site. His carved wooden long-leaf red pine Rhinoceros (which he made for me when I was ~11 years old) is a personal favorite.

Starless River
Is the U.K. based caving gear store run by serious hard-ass Tony Seddon. This link goes to the 'caves' section of the store's site--complete with alarming portrait photo of Tony ("After 7 days underground and 700m prussiking").

The Oxford University
Cave Club
Maintained by Steve Roberts, a guy who is extraordinary in so many ways, I'll just limit myself here to saying "Steve is a man who knows about motors."

Bensozia
John Bedell is an archaeologist, historian, and father of five living in Maryland. His blog is a fascinating grab-bag of historical, artistic, and political materials. This entry about work and leisure gives a good example of his voice.

Earthsign Studios
This is Liz Manicatide (now Liz LaManche), principal at Emphasis Creative's personal art & graphics site. I love Liz's work, panache, and aerial artistry, which leads me to-

Flying Squirrel Consortium
Phil Servita's site, and the place to go for custom fabricated circus equipment (either freestanding or fixed point), and aerial classes, if you happen to live in the area.

Paul Nordberg
Paul's site is... unique, authentic, & expressive, and pretty much exactly what I think of when I think of a website as an artform.

Metro Bikes Trails Guide
(St. Paul, MN)
"Reviews and Reports on over 70 bicycle paths in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area!"
Maintained by the tireless Seamus Flynn, and a great little site for those local to the Twin Cities area.

Green Ivy
I enjoy the Ukrainian/Russian artisanship on this website.

Sites I enjoy

I don't know these people, but I appreciate their work.

What's That Bug?
The title says it all. A useful site for both the non-bug-phobic & the consummate bug-phobe.

Margaret & Helen
Best Friends for Sixty Years and Counting…

Raging Grannies
I'm not a grandmother (or raging!), but I appreciate this site. Especially the fact-checking part.

Katya Reimann : 2019

William Merritt Chase

Reconstruction

Frances Carpenter, Distinguished Folklorist

Frances Carpenter Bibliography

Baroque Pearls

Contact Katya

Categories

Archives

Sites I recommend

Sites I enjoy

Katya Reimann : 2019

William Merritt Chase

Reconstruction

Frances Carpenter, Distinguished Folklorist

​Frances Carpenter Bibliography

Baroque Pearls

Contact Katya

Categories

Archives

Sites I recommend

Sites I enjoy

Frances Carpenter Bibliography