Winifred E. Lefferts
Encyclopedia
Winifred Earl Lefferts also known as Winifred Lefferts Arms, was a painter, designer and philanthropist. A member of the Lefferts
family, early settlers of Brooklyn
, she studied and exhibited art, and designed for New York book publishers prior to her 1937 marriage to Carleton Macy. Following her marriage to Robert A. Arms in 1952 she painted as Winifred L. Arms. After the death of her second husband she became known for philanthropy and for founding a private residential treatment center in Carmel, New York
, named Arms Acres.
, Colonial lieutenant governor of Virginia, and Major Nathan Peters of Connecticut, aide to General George Washington. Through her father Lefferts was descended from Oliver Wolcott, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; Matthew Griswold
, governor of Connecticut; and Pieter Lefferts
, an early Dutch settler of Brooklyn.
Winifred Lefferts studied at the Pratt Institute
Art School and the National Academy of Design
in New York. She won a fellowship from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
in 1925, and received prizes from the National Arts Club
in 1931, 1933 and 1936. She held membership in the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, the New York Watercolor Club, the American Watercolor Society
and the Allied Artists of America.
Lefferts illustrated books and designed dust jacket
s for American book publishers in the 1920s and 1930s. Books that credit her as illustrator include Elaine Sterne Carrington
's The Gypsy Star (1928) and Laura E. Richards
' 1935 book of children's verses, Merry-Go-Round. Lefferts' name or her distinctive "W.E.L." signature appears on many book jackets, including the U.S. edition of W. Somerset Maugham
's The Casuarina Tree
(1926), DuBose Heyward
's Angel (1926) and M. P. Shiel
's Dr. Krasinski's Secret (1929). She designed covers for Rex Stout
's How Like a God (1929) and Seed on the Wind (1930), and for three of Stout's early Nero Wolfe
novels — The League of Frightened Men
(1935), The Rubber Band
(1936) and The Red Box
(1937).
On October 30, 1937, Lefferts married Carleton Macy, a leading developer of Long Island real estate who was former president of the Queens Borough Gas and Electric Company. Macy's first wife, Lefferts' paternal aunt Helen, had died the previous year.
Macy died in January 1949, and in September 1952 his widow married Robert A. Arms. The couple dedicated their lives to helping those with chemical dependency. After her husband was killed by a drunk driver in 1971, Winifred L. Arms continued her work to help alcoholics to recovery and established a private inpatient treatment facility in Carmel, New York
, named Arms Acres.
Arms' acts of philanthropy included giving a 100-acre parcel in Massachusetts to the New England Forestry Foundation in 1972. CityStage Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts
, named its 70-seat Winifred Arms Theatre in her honor.
In 1982 Arms bought a run-down building in her hometown of Blandford, Massachusetts
, had it renovated, and presented it as the first town hall Blandford had ever had in its 241-year history. "As it is now all the papers and records of the town are kept in private homes. It kind of makes your hair stand on end," Arms told a UPI
reporter, describing the absence of a permanent meeting place as "a pea-picking horror."
Her gifts to Amherst College
, Robert Arms' alma mater, included an endowed professorship in the arts and humanities and a painting by Rockwell Kent
, "Clover Fields" (1939–1940), that is part of the collection of the Mead Art Museum
. The Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield
Collections Database reflects Winifred Lefferts Arms' donation of more than six dozen pieces of furniture and decorative arts objects dating to the 18th century, as well as paintings and prints and two of her own watercolor drawings.
Winifred Lefferts Arms continued her membership in the American Watercolor Society until her death in November 1995. In 1997, Amherst College named The Arms Music Center https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/facilities in memory of Winifred and Robert Arms.
Lefferts Historic House
The Lefferts Historic House, located within Brooklyn's Prospect Park is the former home of Continental Army Lieutenant Pieter Lefferts built circa 1783. It currently operates as a museum of family life in Brooklyn in the 1820s. The museum is part of the Historic House Trust, owned by the New York...
family, early settlers of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, she studied and exhibited art, and designed for New York book publishers prior to her 1937 marriage to Carleton Macy. Following her marriage to Robert A. Arms in 1952 she painted as Winifred L. Arms. After the death of her second husband she became known for philanthropy and for founding a private residential treatment center in Carmel, New York
Carmel, New York
Carmel is a town located in Putnam County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 36,465.There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.The Town of Carmel...
, named Arms Acres.
Biography
The daughter of Oscar Leffert Lefferts and Winifred Wood, Winifred Earl Lefferts was born into a socially prominent family. Her mother was descended from Francis FauquierFrancis Fauquier
Francis Fauquier was a Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Colony , and served as acting governor from 1758 until his death in 1768. He was married to Catherine Dalston....
, Colonial lieutenant governor of Virginia, and Major Nathan Peters of Connecticut, aide to General George Washington. Through her father Lefferts was descended from Oliver Wolcott, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; Matthew Griswold
Matthew Griswold (governor)
Matthew Griswold was the 2nd Governor of Connecticut from 1784 to 1786. He also served as Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of the Superior Court, during the American Revolution .-Early life:...
, governor of Connecticut; and Pieter Lefferts
Lefferts Historic House
The Lefferts Historic House, located within Brooklyn's Prospect Park is the former home of Continental Army Lieutenant Pieter Lefferts built circa 1783. It currently operates as a museum of family life in Brooklyn in the 1820s. The museum is part of the Historic House Trust, owned by the New York...
, an early Dutch settler of Brooklyn.
Winifred Lefferts studied at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
Art School and the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
in New York. She won a fellowship from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople...
in 1925, and received prizes from the National Arts Club
National Arts Club
The National Arts Club is a private club in Gramercy Park, New York City, New York, USA. It was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Samuel J...
in 1931, 1933 and 1936. She held membership in the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, the New York Watercolor Club, the American Watercolor Society
American Watercolor Society
The American Watercolor Society is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to the advancement of watercolor painting in the United States. It was founded in 1866 by eleven painters and, originally, was known as the American Society of Painters in Water Colors...
and the Allied Artists of America.
Lefferts illustrated books and designed dust jacket
Dust jacket
The dust jacket of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers...
s for American book publishers in the 1920s and 1930s. Books that credit her as illustrator include Elaine Sterne Carrington
Elaine Sterne Carrington
Elaine Sterne Carrington was an American screenwriter, playwright, novelist and short story author who found her greatest success writing for radio. The woman who originated radio soap opera in 1932, Carrington wrote more than 12,000 daily dramas during her long career...
's The Gypsy Star (1928) and Laura E. Richards
Laura E. Richards
Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's, biographies, poetry, and others. A well-known children's poem for which she is noted is the literary nonsense verse Eletelephony.Her father...
' 1935 book of children's verses, Merry-Go-Round. Lefferts' name or her distinctive "W.E.L." signature appears on many book jackets, including the U.S. edition of W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
's The Casuarina Tree
The Casuarina Tree
The Casuarina Tree is a collection of short stories set in 1920s Malaya by W. Somerset Maugham that came out of travels he paid for by working for the British Secret Service as a spy...
(1926), DuBose Heyward
DuBose Heyward
Edwin DuBose Heyward was a white American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. This novel was the basis for the play by the same name and, in turn, the opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin.-Life and career:Heyward was born in 1885 in Charleston, South Carolina and was a...
's Angel (1926) and M. P. Shiel
M. P. Shiel
Matthew Phipps Shiel was a prolific British writer of West Indian descent. His legal surname remained "Shiell" though he adopted the shorter version as a de facto pen name....
's Dr. Krasinski's Secret (1929). She designed covers for Rex Stout
Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
's How Like a God (1929) and Seed on the Wind (1930), and for three of Stout's early Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...
novels — The League of Frightened Men
The League of Frightened Men
The League of Frightened Men is the second Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout. The story was serialized in six issues of The Saturday Evening Post under the title The Frightened Men. The novel was published in 1935 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc...
(1935), The Rubber Band
The Rubber Band
The Rubber Band is the third Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout. Prior to its publication in 1936 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., the novel was serialized in six issues of The Saturday Evening Post...
(1936) and The Red Box
The Red Box
The Red Box is the fourth Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout. Prior to its first publication in 1937 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., the novel was serialized in five issues of The American Magazine...
(1937).
On October 30, 1937, Lefferts married Carleton Macy, a leading developer of Long Island real estate who was former president of the Queens Borough Gas and Electric Company. Macy's first wife, Lefferts' paternal aunt Helen, had died the previous year.
Macy died in January 1949, and in September 1952 his widow married Robert A. Arms. The couple dedicated their lives to helping those with chemical dependency. After her husband was killed by a drunk driver in 1971, Winifred L. Arms continued her work to help alcoholics to recovery and established a private inpatient treatment facility in Carmel, New York
Carmel, New York
Carmel is a town located in Putnam County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 36,465.There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.The Town of Carmel...
, named Arms Acres.
Arms' acts of philanthropy included giving a 100-acre parcel in Massachusetts to the New England Forestry Foundation in 1972. CityStage Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, named its 70-seat Winifred Arms Theatre in her honor.
In 1982 Arms bought a run-down building in her hometown of Blandford, Massachusetts
Blandford, Massachusetts
Blandford is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the home of the Blandford Ski Area.- History :...
, had it renovated, and presented it as the first town hall Blandford had ever had in its 241-year history. "As it is now all the papers and records of the town are kept in private homes. It kind of makes your hair stand on end," Arms told a UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
reporter, describing the absence of a permanent meeting place as "a pea-picking horror."
Her gifts to Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, Robert Arms' alma mater, included an endowed professorship in the arts and humanities and a painting by Rockwell Kent
Rockwell Kent
Rockwell Kent was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, and writer.- Biography :Rockwell Kent was born in Tarrytown, New York, the same year as fellow American artists George Bellows and Edward Hopper...
, "Clover Fields" (1939–1940), that is part of the collection of the Mead Art Museum
Mead Art Museum
Mead Art Museum is an art museum associated with Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts and is a member of Museums10.The Mead Art Museum has a wide ranging collection of over 16,000 items, with a particular strength in American art, including notable works of the Hudson River School and woodcut...
. The Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield
Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield
The Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield is a consortium of museums in Western Massachusetts and includes art museums which are part of the Five Colleges as well as Historic Deerfield. The Five College Museums maintains a searchable database of the collections of the museums that is among the...
Collections Database reflects Winifred Lefferts Arms' donation of more than six dozen pieces of furniture and decorative arts objects dating to the 18th century, as well as paintings and prints and two of her own watercolor drawings.
Winifred Lefferts Arms continued her membership in the American Watercolor Society until her death in November 1995. In 1997, Amherst College named The Arms Music Center https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/facilities in memory of Winifred and Robert Arms.