Nancy Churnin
Author
Pub. Date
[2020]
Language
English
Description
Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington...
Author
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Katharine Lee Bates first wrote the lines to "America the Beautiful" on a summer evening after a stirring visit to Pikes Peak in 1893. But the story behind the song begins with Katharine herself, who grew up with memories of the country divided by the Civil War and pushed beyond conventional expectations of women to become an acclaimed writer, scholar, suffragist, and reformer. Katharine believed in the power of words to make a difference, and in...
Author
Pub. Date
[2018]
Language
English
Description
Irving Berlin came to the United States as a refugee from Tsarist Russia, escaping a pogrom that destroyed his village. Growing up on the streets of the lower East Side, the rhythms of jazz and blues inspired his own song-writing career. Starting with his first big hit, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Berlin created the soundtrack for American life with his catchy tunes and irresistible lyrics. With "God Bless America," he sang his thanks to the country...