Alice Corbin Henderson
Encyclopedia
Alice Corbin Henderson was an American poet
, author
and poetry editor.
Alice Corbin was born in St. Louis, Missouri
. Her mother died in 1884 and she was briefly sent to live with her father's cousin Alice Mallory Richardson in Chicago
before returning to her father in Kansas
after his remarriage in 1891.
Alice Corbin attended the University of Chicago
, and in 1898 published a collection of poetry The Linnet Songs. In 1904 she rented a studio in the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, and it was there she met her future husband, William Penhallow Henderson
, a painter, architect and furniture designer, who was teaching there at the time. They married on October 14, 1905.
In 1912 her second collection of poems, The Spinning Woman of the Sky, was published, and she became assistant editor to Harriet Monroe
at Poetry Magazine. She left Chicago for Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1916, after having been diagnosed with tuberculosis
. She continued working on Poetry Magazine by long distance until 1922.
Alice Corbin Henderson and her husband were devoted to New Mexico and the Southwest. They were active in the civil rights of Native Americans. She published Red Earth, Poems of New Mexico in 1920 and The Turquoise Trail, an Anthology of New Mexico Poetry in 1928. In 1937 William Penhallow Henderson designed what is now called the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
in the form of a traditional Navajo
hogan
and Alice Corbin Henderson was curator of the museum.
1937 saw Henderson publishing ‘’Brothers of Light: The Penitentes of the Southwest’’, for which her husband provided the illustrations. The book was reprinted by Yucca Tree Press in 1998 (ISBN 1-881325-23-7).
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and poetry editor.
Alice Corbin was born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Her mother died in 1884 and she was briefly sent to live with her father's cousin Alice Mallory Richardson in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
before returning to her father in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
after his remarriage in 1891.
Alice Corbin attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and in 1898 published a collection of poetry The Linnet Songs. In 1904 she rented a studio in the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, and it was there she met her future husband, William Penhallow Henderson
William Penhallow Henderson
William Penhallow Henderson was an American painter, architect, and furniture designer....
, a painter, architect and furniture designer, who was teaching there at the time. They married on October 14, 1905.
In 1912 her second collection of poems, The Spinning Woman of the Sky, was published, and she became assistant editor to Harriet Monroe
Harriet Monroe
Harriet Monroe was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet and patron of the arts. She is best known as the founding publisher and long-time editor of Poetry Magazine, which made its debut in 1912. As a supporter of the poets Ezra Pound, H. D., T. S...
at Poetry Magazine. She left Chicago for Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1916, after having been diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. She continued working on Poetry Magazine by long distance until 1922.
Alice Corbin Henderson and her husband were devoted to New Mexico and the Southwest. They were active in the civil rights of Native Americans. She published Red Earth, Poems of New Mexico in 1920 and The Turquoise Trail, an Anthology of New Mexico Poetry in 1928. In 1937 William Penhallow Henderson designed what is now called the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian is a museum devoted to Native American arts. It is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was founded in 1937 by Mary Cabot Wheelwright, who came from Boston, and Hastiin Klah, a Navajo singer and medicine man....
in the form of a traditional Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
hogan
Hogan
A hogan is the primary traditional home of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house...
and Alice Corbin Henderson was curator of the museum.
1937 saw Henderson publishing ‘’Brothers of Light: The Penitentes of the Southwest’’, for which her husband provided the illustrations. The book was reprinted by Yucca Tree Press in 1998 (ISBN 1-881325-23-7).
External links
- Alice Corbin Henderson Collection at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
See also
- William Penhallow HendersonWilliam Penhallow HendersonWilliam Penhallow Henderson was an American painter, architect, and furniture designer....
, painter, architect and furniture designer