Maria Thompson Daviess (November 28, 1872 – September 3, 1924) was an American artist and feminist author. She is best known for her popular novels written in the early 20th century, with a "

Pollyanna ''Pollyanna'' is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter's soon writing a sequel, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' (1915). Eleven more ''Pollyanna'' sequels, know ...

" outlook, as well as several short stories, among them, “Miss Selina Sue and the Soap-Box Babies," "Sue Saunders of Saunders Ridge" and "Some Juniors.". Daviess was affiliated with the Equal Suffrage League in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, being the co-founder and vice-president of the chapter in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and an organizer of the chapter in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Biography

Maria (sometimes "Marie") Thompson Daviess was born in

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

, November 28, 1872. Her parents were John Burton Thompson Daviess (a relative of the Harrodsburg-born writer

Zoe Anderson Norris Zoe Anderson Norris (February 29, 1860 – February 13, 1914) was a Kentucky-born journalist, novelist, short story writer and publisher, known for her bimonthly magazine, ''The East Side'' (1909–1914), which focused on impoverished immigrants ...

) and Leonora Hamilton Daviess. The father, John B. T. Daviess, died when she was eight, and the family subsequently relocated to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. Her paternal grandmother, also named Maria Thompson Daviess, was a columnist and lecturer. Daviess studied one year at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

, and then travelled to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study art. Returning to Nashville, she continued to paint and also took up writing. Her first novel, ''Miss Selina Lue and the Soap-box Babies'' was published in 1909. ''The Melting of Molly'', published in 1912, was one of the top best-selling books for the year. She published sixteen novels between 1909 and 1920. She resided in

in 1910, but in 1921, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she died in September 1924. She did not marry and had no children.Gaston, Kay Baker
MARIA THOMPSON DAVIESS: THE MAKING OF A WRITER AND SUFFRAGETTE
in ''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'' (Vol. LXX Fall 2011 Number 3), pp. 196–211Townsend, John Wilson
Kentucky in American letters, 1784–1912
p. 279-81 (1913)Morrow, Libbie Luttrel
Maria Thompson Daviess
''The Book News Monthly'' (January 1914)

Bibliography

* ''Miss Selina Lue and the Soap-box Babies'' (1909) * ''The Road To Providence'' (1910) * ''Rose of Old Harpeth'' (1911) * ''The Treasure Babies'' (1911) * ''The Melting of Molly'' (1912) * ''The Elected Mother, A Story of Woman's Equal Rights'' (1912) * ''Andrew the Glad'' (1913) * ''The Tinder Box'' (1913) * ''Sue Jane'' (1913) * ''Phyllis'' (1914; a "Harpeth Valley" story) * ''Over Paradise Ridge'' (1915) * ''The Daredevil'' (1916) – filmed in 1918 * ''The Heart's Kingdom'' (1917) * ''Out of a Clear Sky'' (1917) – filmed in 1918 as ''

Out of a Clear Sky ''Out of a Clear Sky'' is a lost 1918 American silent romantic drama film starring Marguerite Clark and directed by Marshall Neilan. Based upon a novel by Maria Thompson Daviess, Famous Players-Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distri ...

'' with

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American theatre, stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are co ...

* ''The Golden Bird'' (1918) – filmed in 1918 as ''

Little Miss Hoover ''Little Miss Hoover'' is a 1918 American silent film, silent romantic drama film directed by John S. Robertson and stars Marguerite Clark. The film is based on the novel ''The Golden Bird'', by Maria Thompson Daviess. A 35mm print of the film is ...

'' with

* ''Bluegrass and Broadway'' (1919) * ''The Matrix'' (1920) * ''Seven Times Seven'' (1924) (autobiography)Clark, Edwin (May 18, 1924)
Tastes of a Self-Sufficient Women
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (review of autobiography describes Daviess as "a writer of the Polyanna School")

References

Attribution

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daviess, Maria Thompson 1872 births 1924 deaths 20th-century American novelists 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters American women painters Painters from Kentucky Painters from Tennessee People from Harrodsburg, Kentucky Writers from Nashville, Tennessee Wellesley College alumni Novelists from Kentucky Novelists from Tennessee American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American women artists 19th-century American women artists Kentucky women writers