Raisinghistory

238 years ago, Augustin-Jean Fresnel, was born.

He was a civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the invention of the Fresnel lens.

I have been honored to portray the inventor of the Fresnel lens for lighthouse and maritime organizations and I'm certainly looking forward to performing for many more in the upcoming years.

in 1864, Nellie Bly, (Elizabeth Jane Cochrane), was born.

She was a journalist for the Pittsburgh Dispatch and would move on to New York City in 1887 where she took an undercover assignment for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and, pretending insanity, spent 10 days at an asylum for women on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island). Upon release, she gave her report and later wrote "Ten Days in a Mad-House" that exposed the brutalities and horrible conditions, paving the way for women and investigative reporting.

Oh, and she also travelled around the world in 72 days. Take that, Phileas Fogg! She even had time to meet Jules Verne on her way!

200 years ago, American landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

He was prominent in the Hudson River School of landscape painters, known for his large landscapes that included mountains, sunsets and waterfalls.

He was a student of Thomas Cole.



Frederic Edwin Church, c.1868, albumen print (cabinet card) by Napoleon Sarony, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC

George Inness, American Landscape painter, was born.

"Art is a subtle essence. It is not a thing of surfaces, but a moving spirit." - George Inness

we celebrate the 204th birthday of the man known as the "Father of American Landscape Architecture", Frederick Law Olmsted.

I've been honored to portray him for such organizations as the Friends of Olmsted Beil House Friends of Anderson Park US National Archives Comes Alive! Young Learners Program and Planting Fields Foundation.

Keep up the wonderful work you all do and a big Thank You to the Olmsted Network for their continued dedication and stewardship of Frederick Law Olmsted's legacy!

Speaking of which, who would be the next Olmsted partner that I could bring the performance to.....maybe Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Bayard Cutting Arboretum Emerald Necklace Conservancy Friends of Maryland's Olmsted Parks & Landscapes Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy Rochester Olmsted Parks Alliance? 😉



Photo of Frederick Law Olmsted 1857
Photo of Joseph Smith as Frederick Law Olmsted May 2022 courtesy of Adam Grace, Friends of Anderson Park

176 years ago, Daniel Chester French was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. When his family moved to Concord, Massachusetts, they would become neighbors to Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Alcott family.

It would be Louisa May's sister, May Alcott, who would introduce Daniel to the art and eventual profession of sculpture:

"I may be permitted to record the peculiar debt I owe her in introducing me to the potentialities of sculpture. I had been whittling and carving things from wood and gypsum, and even from turnips, as many boys do, and, as usual, “the family” thought the product remarkable. My father spoke about them to Miss Alcott, the artist of the community, and she, with her ever-ready enthusiasm, immediately offered to give me her modeling clay and tools. I lost no time in harnessing the horse and driving over for them, and in experimenting with the seductive material, although I didn’t know even how to moisten it. I still have one of the modeling tools she gave me. While I know of some misguided people who will not consider that she is to be commended for this service to me, I am constantly grateful."

- Daniel Chester French,
Glendale, Massachusetts, June 14, 1926 [Prelude pg. xx-xxi, May Alcott: A Memoir]

Among his many works are The Minute Man and the seated Abraham Lincoln (collaborated with the firm Piccirilli Brothers) located in the Lincoln Memorial.

in 1874, the 1st Impressionist Exhibition opened in Paris. It would feature 30 artists, among them were Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley.

That is quite an "impressive" lineup!

in 1915, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, guitarist, singer and songwriter who is considered the "Godmother of Rock & Roll", was born.

She was a pioneer in guitar technique and bringing gospel music into the mainstream, influencing many of the pioneers of 50's rock and roll and future guitarists.

She was inducted into the The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Sooooo.......this Christmas cactus had not bloomed in YEARS.....photo on the left was from January....photo on the right, MARCH......YES, a SECOND bloom.....WooHoo!!!.....here comes Spring!!!!

This is a simple lesson in persisting until you succeed. This cactus did not give up.....it found a way to bloom, not once, but twice!

It reminds me of a business size card I have that says, "I will ALWAYS find a way and a way will always find me."

May this be inspiration for anyone out there ready, willing and wanting to bloom!

, March 10th, 1867, Lillian Wald was born.

She was a nurse, activist & humanitarian who would in 1893 start the Henry Street Settlement to provide medical care and other social services for residents of the Lower East Side.