Thomas Allibone Janvier

Thomas Allibone Janvier (1849-1913) was an American story-writer and historian, born in Philadelphia of Provençal descent. His father was Philadelphia businessman and poet Francis De Haes Janvier. He received a public school education, then worked in Philadelphia for newspapers from 1870-81. In 1878 he married Catharine Ann Drinker (1841-1922), an artist who was the first woman teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and first teacher to Cecilia Beaux. Later in life, she accompanied her husband on his travels while writing books and translating books from the Provencale language. Many of Janvier's published works would be dedicated "To C. A. J." Janvier spent several years in Colorado, and in New and old Mexico, thereby gaining inspiration and material for much of his literary work. From 1884-94, he lived in the Washington Square district of New York, which would inspire his works about old New York. He also lived for three years in Provence, and for another three in England. In France, he became a warm friend of Mistral and was made an honorary member of the Félibrige society.

Bibliography

* "Color Studies" (1885)
* "The Mexican Guide" (1886)
* "The Aztec Treasure House" (1890)
* "Stories of Old New Spain" (1891)
* "The Uncle of an Angel, and Other Stories" (1891)
* "An Embassy to Provence" (1893)
* "In Old New York" (1894)
* "The Women's Conquest of New York" (1894), in which the suffrage movement is fictitiously presented
* "In the Sargasso Sea" (1898)
* "The Passing of Thomas, and Other Stories" (1900)
* "In Great Waters" (1901)
* "The Christmas Kalends of Provence" (1902)
* "The Dutch Founding of New York" (1903)
* "Santa Fe's Trail" (1907)
* "Legends of the City of Mexico" (1910)
* "From the South of France" (1912), short stories
* "At the Casa Napoleon" (1914), which contains a memoir by Ripley Hitchcock

Janvier's sister, Margaret Thomson Janvier (1844-1913), was born in New Orleans. Under the pen name Margaret Vandergrift she wrote many juveniles, among which are: "The Absent-Minded Fairy, and Other Verses" (1884); "The Dead Doll, and Other Verses" (1900); "Under the Dog-Star" (1900); and "Umbrellas to Mend" (1905).

Janvier's niece, Emma P. Spicer, going by the stage name of Emma Janvier, was a well-known comedienne on Broadway and elsewhere from the turn of the century through the her death in the early 1920s.

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