Thomas Allibone Janvier
Encyclopedia
Thomas Allibone Janvier (July 16, 1849 – June 18, 1913) was an American
story-writer and historian
, born in Philadelphia
of Provençal
descent. His father was Philadelphia businessman and poet Francis De Haes Janvier. He received a public school education, then worked in Philadelphia for newspapers from 1870-81.
. Later in life, she accompanied her husband on his travels while writing books and translating books from the Provencale language. Many of Janvier's published works would be dedicated "To C. A. J."
district of New York
. A few years after arriving, he published the Ivory Black Stories, tales of artist life, which were reprinted in book form in 1885 as Color Studies. In them he pictured the life and color of what was then considered the Latin quarter of the city, with the old-fashioned French restaurants, the artist colony to the north, and the studios in Tenth Street where Abbey, Millet, F. Hopkinson Smith, Laffan and others made the Tile Club famous. He published many stories and articles in Harper's Magazine
.
, New Mexico
and Mexico
, thereby gaining inspiration and material for much of his literary work. His travels in Mexico produced the Aztec Treasure House and his stories of Old New Spain.
He and his wife also lived for three years in Avignon
, Provence, France
, where they became friends with Mistral
and Felix Gras
. Mrs. Janvier's translations of the latter's work introduced him to English-speaking readers. His books from this period include An Embassy to Provence, Christmas Kalends of Provence and The South of France. He was made an honorary member of the Félibrige
society in France, and of the Fol Lore Society of London, where he and his wife lived from 1897 to 1900, and the Century Club in New York.
Janvier died in New York on June 18, 1913. He is interred in Moorestown, New Jersey.
. Under the pen name
Margaret Vandergrift she wrote many juvenile
s, among which are: The Absent-Minded Fairy
, and Other Verses (1884); The Dead Doll, and Other Verses (1900); Under the Dog-Star
(1900); and Umbrella
s to Mend (1905).
Janvier's niece, Emma P. Spicer, going by the stage name of Emma Janvier, was a well-known comedienne on Broadway and elsewhere from the turn of the century through the her death in the early 1920s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
story-writer and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, born in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
of Provençal
Provençal language
Provençal is a dialect of Occitan spoken by a minority of people in southern France, mostly in Provence. In the English-speaking world, "Provençal" is often used to refer to all dialects of Occitan, but it actually refers specifically to the dialect spoken in Provence."Provençal" is also the...
descent. His father was Philadelphia businessman and poet Francis De Haes Janvier. He received a public school education, then worked in Philadelphia for newspapers from 1870-81.
Marriage
In 1878 he married Catharine Ann Drinker (1841-1922), an artist who was the first woman teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and first teacher to Cecilia BeauxCecilia Beaux
Cecilia Beaux was an American society portraitist, in the manner of John Singer Sargent. She was a near contemporary of better-known American artist Mary Cassatt and also received her training in Philadelphia and France...
. Later in life, she accompanied her husband on his travels while writing books and translating books from the Provencale language. Many of Janvier's published works would be dedicated "To C. A. J."
New York
He went to New York in 1881. From 1884-94, he lived in the Washington SquareWashington Square Park
Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City's 1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres , it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity...
district of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A few years after arriving, he published the Ivory Black Stories, tales of artist life, which were reprinted in book form in 1885 as Color Studies. In them he pictured the life and color of what was then considered the Latin quarter of the city, with the old-fashioned French restaurants, the artist colony to the north, and the studios in Tenth Street where Abbey, Millet, F. Hopkinson Smith, Laffan and others made the Tile Club famous. He published many stories and articles in Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
.
Travels abroad
Janvier spent several years in ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, thereby gaining inspiration and material for much of his literary work. His travels in Mexico produced the Aztec Treasure House and his stories of Old New Spain.
He and his wife also lived for three years in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, Provence, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they became friends with Mistral
Frédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral was a French writer and lexicographer of the Occitan language. Mistral won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1904 and was a founding member of Félibrige and a member of l'Académie de Marseille...
and Felix Gras
Felix Gras
Félix Gras was a Provençal poet and novelist. He was born into a farming family and went to secondary school at the college of Sainte Garde à Saint Didier...
. Mrs. Janvier's translations of the latter's work introduced him to English-speaking readers. His books from this period include An Embassy to Provence, Christmas Kalends of Provence and The South of France. He was made an honorary member of the Félibrige
Félibrige
The Félibrige is a literary and cultural association founded by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote Occitan language and literature...
society in France, and of the Fol Lore Society of London, where he and his wife lived from 1897 to 1900, and the Century Club in New York.
Janvier died in New York on June 18, 1913. He is interred in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Literary family
Janvier's sister, Margaret Thomson Janvier (1844-1913), was born in New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Margaret Vandergrift she wrote many juvenile
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
s, among which are: The Absent-Minded Fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, and Other Verses (1884); The Dead Doll, and Other Verses (1900); Under the Dog-Star
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
(1900); and Umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
s to Mend (1905).
Janvier's niece, Emma P. Spicer, going by the stage name of Emma Janvier, was a well-known comedienne on Broadway and elsewhere from the turn of the century through the her death in the early 1920s.
Articles and short stories
- "Pancha, a Story of Monterey" (1884) in The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Vol. 28 p.656 http://books.google.com/books?id=6lkiAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA656&dq=%22Pancha:+a+story+of+monterey%22+%22The+century+illustrated+monthly+magazine%22&hl=en&ei=KrHPTKfDLo_EsAPn09GtAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
- "The Sea-Robbers of New York" (1894) in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol 89, Issue 2 http://books.google.com/books?id=Y4UAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA813&dq=%22Thomas+A.+Janvier%22&hl=en&ei=3ZPPTLeZI4TmsQO3i5H_Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20A.%20Janvier%22&f=false
- "A White Penitent" (1901) Harper's vol 103 p. 131 http://books.google.com/books?id=klBIAAAAYAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- "Honfleur the Sedate" (April 1904) in Harper's Magazine Vol. 108 http://books.google.com/books?id=3QUwAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA659&dq=%22Thomas+A.+Janvier%22&hl=en&ei=3ZPPTLeZI4TmsQO3i5H_Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20A.%20Janvier%22&f=false
External links
- Emma Janvier(niece of Thomas) at The Actors Birthday Book