Anne Parrish (November 12, 1888 – September 5, 1957) was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and writer of

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

. She was a runner-up for the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

three times from 1925 to 1951.

Early life

Parrish was born November 12, 1888, in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where she attended the Misses Ferris' and San Luis Schools. Her father was Thomas Clarkson Parrish, an etcher from Philadelphia. Her mother, Anne (née Lodge), had studied at the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

, becoming a portrait painter and a friend of

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...

in Paris. Anne Parrish was the elder sister of the illustrator-writer Dillwyn Parrish and a cousin of the painter

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His ...

. Thomas Parrish was in the Colorado mining business and died in 1899 around age 53. The rest of her childhood was spent in her family hometown of

Claymont, Delaware Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware. The estimated 2017 population of the 19703 ZIP code, which Claymont encompasses, was 15,292. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans C ...

, and she went on to, study "painting in Philadelphia, more because my mother and father were painters than because I was one."

Career

As a young woman, Parrish trained at the

Philadelphia School of Design for Women Philadelphia School of Design for Women (1848–1932) was an art school for women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Housed in the former Edwin Forrest House at 1346 North Broad Street, under the directorship of Emily Sartain (1886–1920), ...

and studied under

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

. She chose a career in literature, with her first romantic novel ''Pocketful of Poses'' appearing in 1923, the same year she had a children's book published, with her brother Dillwyn as illustrator. Their collaboration titled ''Knee-High to a Grasshopper'' was followed by another book for children in 1924, ''Lustres''. TheDreamCoach

In 1925 she was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal for '' The Dream Coach'', the third collaboration with her brother. That same year, her novel ''The Perennial Bachelor'' was the eighth best-selling book for the entire year according to the ''New York Times'' and won the

Harper Prize The Harper Novel Prize was an award presented by Harper Brothers, an American publishing company located in New York City, New York. The award was presented to the best novel by an "a writer who hitherto had not found a wide audience". A number ...

from her publisher, Harper & Brothers. An author of stories that mostly featured female protagonists, in 1927, she had another novel make it into the top ten list of bestselling novels in the United States. She repeated on the annual bestsellers list again in 1928 with ''All Kneeling'', that was made into the 1950 film '' Born to Be Bad'', starring

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

and

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for ...

. Parrish assembled an art collection that included the 1873 Impressionist painting ''Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil'' by

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "R ...

, and '' Vase with Red Poppies'' by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

, both of which she bequeathed to the

Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

museum of art in Hartford, Connecticut.

Later life

In 1915, Parrish married industrialist Charles Albert Corliss, who died in 1936. Two years later, she married the poet and novelist Josiah Titzell (aka Frederick Lambeck). They made their home in

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-d ...

. After he died in 1943, she continued to live there for the rest of her life. Parrish died of a cerebral hemorrhage in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, in 1957. She endowed the "Anne Parrish Titzell Professor of Neurology" chair at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, originally for research and treatment of mental and emotional disorders.

Bibliography

*''Pocketful of Poses'' ( 1923) *''Knee-High to a Grasshopper'' (1923), illustrated by Dillwyn Parrish *''Lustres'' (1924), illus. Dillwyn Parrish *'' The Dream Coach'' ( 1924), illus. Dillwyn Parrish – Newbery runner-up *''Semi-Attached'' (1924) *''The Perennial Bachelor'' (

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

) *''Tomorrow Morning'' ( 1927) *''All Kneeling'' (

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

) *''The Methodist Faun'' (

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

) *'' Floating Island (novel)'' (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) – Newbery runner-up *''Loads of Love'' (

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) *''Sea Level'' (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

) *''Golden Wedding'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

) *''Mr. Despondency's Daughter'' (

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) *''Pray for a Tomorrow'' (

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

) *''Poor Child'' (

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

) *''A Clouded Star'' ( 1948) *'' The Story of Appleby Capple'' ( 1950) – Newbery runner-up *''And Have Not Love'' (

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

) *''The Lucky One'' ( 1958)

References

External links

* * *
Josiah Titzell
(second husband) at

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Authorities, with 5(?) records, an
at WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Anne 20th-century American novelists American women novelists American children's writers American art collectors American philanthropists Writers from Colorado Springs, Colorado Newbery Honor winners Philadelphia School of Design for Women alumni 1888 births 1957 deaths American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers People from Redding, Connecticut People from Claymont, Delaware Novelists from Colorado