Cherry Potts, Writer

Category: The Historical Birthday-Tea Party

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 6th

    So no particular birthday today, and I am seriously running out of unidentified birthdays to play with. So as it’s world book day, let’s have a writer: Mary Constance Du Bois, 1879-1959 author of ripping yarns for  girls such as The League of the Signet Ring, Eleanor Arden, Royalist and The Lass of the Silver…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 5th

    Today’s celebrations are in honour of Dr Louise Pearce, 5th March 1885– 9th August 1959. Louise was an American research scientist who found a cure for sleeping sickness, doing tests on her own in the field in Zaire (Belgian Congo at the time) during a major outbreak in 1920, for which she was awarded medals…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 4th

    An actual Birthday! Hurrah, quick, light the candles before I find it’s a mistake. Emma Cons 4 March 1838 – 24 July 1912 Feminist, educator and stage entrepreneur, Emma ran what is now the Old Vic, in London. At the time it was a coffeehouse-come-music-hall, and she put on operas and Shakespeare. She was an…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 3rd

    Edith Lees Ellis, 1861-1916 socialist, feminist and writer, was the wife of Havelock Ellis, the sexologist. Her birthday is not recorded anywhere I can find it, so today is a random and arbitrary attribution. Edith was a member of the Fabian society and wrote regularly for The Freewoman. Havelock  characterised her relationships with women as…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 2nd

    So it turns out I was mistaken about not having a birthday party booked for the 1st – my spreadsheet lied to me. So pretend Emilia was today, and Mercedes de Acosta March 1, 1893 – May 9, 1968 was yesterday – I’ll switch them round later when you aren’t looking. Mercedes  was a not…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party March 1st

    A new month, but no birthday to celebrate. I’ll have run out of people whose dates I haven’t found soon and then where will I be? Ok, never mind. Today we are composing birthday odes for Emilia Bassano Lanier aka Aemelia Lanyer 1569–1645 Emilia was  Jewish, the  illegitimate daughter of Venetian musician Baptista Bassano and…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 28th February

    Todays is another birth free day, so lets celebrate someone we missed in January; another cross-dresser: Charlotte Charke 13 January 1713 – 6 April 1760. Charlotte was the youngest daughter of Colley Cibber a celebrated actor. She grew up independent and took to the stage herself, frequently playing ‘britches’ parts (18th Century theatre was obsessed…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 27th February

    No birthday girl today so another one from yesterday Mabel Dodge Luhan February 26, 1879 – August 13, 1962. Much married New York Salonist, her memoir (so we are told, I’ve not read it) Intimate Memories (1933) details relationships with several women. She knew Natalie Barney and was a friend of Gertrude Stein and Alice…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 26th February

    Let’s light the candles on the cake for Mary Taylor 1817-1893 Mary and her  sister, Martha, went to  school at Roe Head, Mirfield, where in 1831 Mary met Ellen Nussey and Charlotte Brontë and they became great friends. Mary and Charlotte both stayed in each others homes regularly. Charlotte used the Taylor family as the…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 25th February

    No birthday alloted today, so a random choice: Theodora Bosanquet OBE 1881-1961 (no idea what day she was born, history and the internet refuses to relate) Now. Theodora is best known for being Henry James’ secretary. Not a good start, but remarkable that anyone could get known for being anyone’s secretary really. James described her…