Mrs. Laura Gould Hooper
New Ipswich Historical Society
A Look Back - 148th Children’s Fair - Aug 15, 2009
Countdown to the Children’s Fair. The 161st Children’s Fair will be held on August 20, 2022 at 10 AM on the grounds of the New Ipswich Congregation Church at 156 Main Street, New Ipswich, NH.
On this day - August 17, 1908
James Roger diary entry
17th (Monday)
Rain wind S. Rain ceased about noon, with cool cloudy weather after. David at Club House all day. I filled Hall lamps in forenoon and Johnnie and I went to Greenville for grain. Paid Prescott’s a/c and took laundry to Gainey’s. Some Finns hired Hall for Saturday night.
On this day - August 17, 1897 (Tuesday)
William Jurian Kaula diary
Yesterday we visited Cline in his studio by appointment. I have only seen one of his paintings and that one was in the New Salon. Cline is one of the most earnest workers that I know in Paris and is a firm believer in the old schools and has a horror of all brilliant and clever men who have worked the revolution in the modern French school. Cline has all the faults of one who is so intensely serious and so painstaking [sic] accurate that he naturally produces rigid and exceedingly dry work. It seems to be the inevitable result of the severe academic training - no spirit of atmosphere, no simplicity of technique or feeling for the actual effects of nature in place of those premeditated by reason and custom. I was much impressed by his efforts and found that his strenghth [sic] lies in his decorative ability. It is there he is likely to make a success and he has a splendid appreciation of the works of the leading decorative painters of the day. His talents and his nature are better suited for the schemes, arrangments [sic], compositions of decorations. It is an art governed by different principles than easle [sic] pictures and requires more varied powers and knoweledge [sic] than the average painter needs to acquire. He had two large canvases besides many smaller works. One represented a first communion with the girls dressed in the white viels [sic] etc. coming down the cathedral stairs. The other was a decoration of "Peace" which pleased me more. There were a multitude of figures that were well arranged in the various employments in times of Peace - at that time when people went around with less clothing than in the present day. Cline leaves for New York soon and I shall miss him as he is a most congenial fellow and I know but few who are as kind-hearted. He hates the woman artists and their productions. "Art" he says "is distinctly masculine, the women cannot be serious, they have not the physical energy to work like a man standing on his feet all day before a canvas. They must do the sentimental, the pretty, and the showy stuff, and they will struggle all their lives trying to come before the public as a successful painter - not one in a thousand do it - there is but one in America of any real note - Miss Celia Beaux. The worst thing a fellow can do is to marry one of them, his art will be ruined by her influence." And so on. He delivered a long discourse on the subject to me as I walked back home on Sunday and in his earnest endeavors to enlighten me he found himself two miles from his quarters, but Cline is a great pedestrian and I cannot keep his gait up for some of his excursions for "exercise." There was a white goat that had a nice beard that we named for Cline at Voulangis owing to the resemblance. It is hard work to get a joke through his head sometimes but when it does he goes into estacies [sic] of enthusiasm and never forgets it. He is modest and unassuming and has been prominent in bringing the club up to its present standard of respectability.
Editors Note: What do you think about Cline’s comments about women artists? I don’t think William had the same sentiments. He eventually married Lee Lufkin, an accomplished woman artist.
Gravestone Cleaning Project
Carl Toko has been cleaning gravestones at South Cemetery in Smithville. Kim Black has been cleaning the stones at Central Cemetery. The results have been amazing, the cleaned stones really stand out.
Nice work Carl. Beverly Hooper was a classmate of mine. Maybe related to Laura.