Mabel Halsey Woodrow
Take a look at this beautifully preserved late 19th century cabinet card. Seated on a wooden prop fence, wearing a white lace dress and dark leather boots, is a little girl with a very serious expression. If you turn the card over, a handwritten pencil note reveals her identity: Mabel Halsey Woodrow So what ever became of the little girl captured on that wooden fence? Census and historical records reveal that Mabel grew up to leave a profound, lasting mark on American art and philanthropy. According to the 1900 and 1910 US Federal Censuses, Mabel grew up in a comfortable Camden household. Her father, Howard C. Woodrow, worked as a bookkeeper, while her mother, Mary, stayed home to raise Mabel and her younger brother, Howard Jr. Her distinct middle name, Halsey, was a nod to her mother’s family name. As Mabel grew, so did her talent for the arts. By the 1910s, she had immersed herself in the thriving creative community of Philadelphia. When World War I broke out...