Isabel Ingram
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tutor of Wan Rong
Wan Rong
Lady Gobulo, Empress Xiaokemin , better known as Empress Wanrong, was the Empress of Puyi, the last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. She became empress of the puppet state of Manchukuo when Puyi was declared emperor of that state by the Empire of Japan.-Early life and marriage...
, Empress and wife of the last emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
.
Early life
Born March 7, 1902, in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(then Peking), Northern China, Isabel Myrtle Ingram was the daughter of American Congregational missionary James Henry Ingram, MD (1858-1934) and Myrtle Belle (Prough) Ingram, his second wife. Her passport and a New York Times article (cited below) give her sisters as Miriam Ingram and Ruth Ingram. Other siblings were Kathryn Ingram (Rowe), Robert Ingram, and Lewis Ingram.
Tutor to Wan Rong in the Forbidden City
Isabel Ingram was the tutor to Wan RongWan Rong
Lady Gobulo, Empress Xiaokemin , better known as Empress Wanrong, was the Empress of Puyi, the last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. She became empress of the puppet state of Manchukuo when Puyi was declared emperor of that state by the Empire of Japan.-Early life and marriage...
the last empress of China. She lived in the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
, where she taught Wan Rong, Emperor Pu Yi's first wife, whom he wed in December 1922.
Isabel Ingram graduated Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1922, the same year she returned to China, and began teaching Empress Wan Rong.
Accounts of Isabel Ingram in Richard Halliburton, The New York Times and Time
Famous in his era, travel-adventure writer Richard HalliburtonRichard Halliburton
Richard Halliburton was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known today for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career...
wrote his parents in December 1922, saying that he called on "the young American tutoress of the Empress of China." He added that he found the visit quite interesting. The young Miss Ingram was petite and quite attractive. He wrote that on Christmas Eve he "went for a walk about the city wall with Miss Ingram," and also said that "the Royal Pair were only married a day or two before," adding that "this girl" and Reginald Johnston
Reginald Johnston
Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, KCMG, CBE, was a Scottish academic, diplomat and tutor to Puyi, the last emperor of China, and later appointed as the last Commissioner of Weihaiwei.-Early:...
, the Emperor tutor, were the only people of European stock "at the great ceremony." In his book The Royal Road to Romance, he wrote that the empress was not to be outdone by the emperor with his tutor, and that Miss Ingram taught her the speech, modes, and manners of the West. As well, the two girls tried to look like one another and traded clothes.
A November 21, 1934 New York Times article states that the empress received part of her education from two American women. It names the women as Miss Miriam Ingram and Miss Isabel Ingram, and says they are daughters of a Congregational missionary from Philadelphia. The article further explains that from them the empress learned English, history and something about life in the Western world.
On May 12, 1924, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
had a piece titled "Henry The Democrat," "Henry" referring to a name adopted by Puyi, who, according to Time had a "beautiful consort" with the court name, Elizabeth (Wan Rong). The article states, "Elizabeth was accompanied by Miss Isabel Ingram, graduate of Wellesley, her American tutor."
Scholarly writing
As a reflection of her interest in Chinese art and culture, for The Pennsylvania Museum Bulletin she wrote "A Scroll of the Eight Views by Chang Lung Chang" as well as "The Siren Collection of Chinese Sculpture," both between 1927 and 1929.Passport data
According to Miss Isabel Ingram’s American passport, in case of death or accident she wished that a sister Miss Ruth Ingram, be notified at Peking Union Medical College.A note on Miss Ingram’s passport reads, “Travelling to British Ports, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
en route to the United States of America. British Consulate, Peking. 23/2/27.” On April 12, 1927 it was stamped by the Harbour Police in Ceylon. It bears other stamps, including Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
. In 1928 she returned to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. At the time of her father's death in 1934 she lived in Edgewood, Maryland
Edgewood, Maryland
Edgewood is a census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 23,378 at the 2000 census.-History:Pooles Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.-Geography:...
with her husband, Capt. William Mayer, United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. She was a witness at the dawn of Twentieth Century Chinese history.