Frances Brand
Frances Brand (1901-1990) was a local artist whose most-celebrated work was a collection of portraits called "Firsts" - images of local people who were pioneers in a field or endeavor. [1]
Born in 1901 in New York, Frances Brand married a military man with whom she had two children. At the age of 41, she joined the army where she spent a 10 year career as a liaison (particularly in Germany working with children affected by the Nazi regime), ultimately becoming an army major. [1] Brand once said she was asked out by Al Capone and was once arrested for civil disobedience at a protest organized by Martin Luther King Jr. [2]
Upon her retirement, she studied art at Mexico City College (now the University of Mexico) for five years. [3][dead link]
Frances Christian Brand died on November 19, 1990 (aged 89) in Charlottesville.
Collection
Her collection of "Firsts" reflects the influence of the Mexican folk painting she studied[4].[dead link]
The "Firsts" were painted between 1974-78 and include 157 portraits (although some may be part of her "modern madonna" series). The subjects are "people that Mrs. Brand had met and befriended in Charlottesville or Albemarle County, people whose strength of character she admired." [5] Many of her portraits were of notable women in the community or of civil rights leaders. Subjects include Nancy O'Brien, the first woman mayor of Charlottesville, Cornelia Johnson, the city's first female African-American police officer, and Jill Rinehart, the first woman elected to city council. [2]
The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society owns the collection. [6][dead link]
A museum had been open at the site of her home at 111 Washington Avenue in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood. The house was painted purple to honor Brand's penchant to dress in purple. [2] However, her granddaughter [citation needed] sold the house in February 2012. [7]
Subjects
' | ' |
Ruth Klüger Angress | Jewish survivor of Concentration Camp who later taught philosophy at UVA in Fall 7 who resigned in 1976 over disagreement with UVA administration |
Anne Mae Bailey | Introduced French into Charlottesville Public Schools, President of The Albemarle Arts Association, founded what would become Bailey Park at U.S. 250 & Hillcrest |
Tim T.L.W. "Tillie" Bailey Jr. | First "cotton technologist" for the Foreign Agriculture Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and during World War II was a leading 'microscopist' |
Charles L. Barbour | First Black Mayor of Charlottesville |
Rev. Arie D. Bestebreurtje | Minister at First Presbyterian Church on Park St. (1966-1981), active in Dutch Resistance during World War II |
Sarah Patton Boyle | Author of The Desegregated Heart, first white person on the board of the C'ville Chapter of the NAACP |
Frances Brand | Self portrait of the artist |
Gina Alycia Brooks | Miss NAACP USA, article July 8, 1977, father Van B. Brooks Jr. |
Drewary John Birchard Brown | One of the founders of Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) anti-poverty agency |
John Brown Bunn | broadcaster "wanted by local FBI for not having certain certificates" 1974 ran one of the few commercial cable radio stations in U.S. |
Benjamin F. Bunn | Founder of local NAACP and minister of Main Street Baptist Church. Married Imogene Bunn on June 10, 1939 |
Imogene Morgan Bunn | First Black nurse to be in charge of city nurses. Married Benjamin F. Bunn on June 10, 39 |
E. Wells Bunyea | CBS radio announcer with his alter-ego "Aunt Emma" AM107 |
Catherine Lynn Burke | First female Rhodes Scholar at University of Virginia in 1976, the first year that was open to women |
Brenda Burrough | first African American female page |
* Gail Burton Jones | Area's first African American female mail carrier |
James Butler | First African American elected to Alb Co Board of Supervisors, first Afric. Amer. chief of an Extension Office (Alb.) in VA, Baker-Butler |
*Margaret Mcleod Cain | Attorney named as a member of the Daily Progress' "Distinguished Dozen" |
Grace H. Carpenter | First woman elected president of YMCA in 1974, broker |
Martha S. Carpenter | Woman on the first team of radio astronomers, UVA |
Duanne Carter | President of Soroptimists International Club, professional women who provide volunteer service to their communities |
Ruth Harvey Charity | First Black woman on National Democratic Committee, from Danville |
Eliot Candee Clark | President of the National Watercolor Society of the U.S. |
Mary Williams Clark | First female orthopedic surgeon at UVA's (Kluge) Children's Rehab. Ctr. in 1981 |
Otelia Abbott Coles | mortician |
Roberts "Rob" Coles Jr. | 5th great grandson of Thomas Jefferson, acting, playing T.J. since 1976 |
Elizabeth "Babs" Conant | local expert on lung fish, Ivy Creek? |
Nincie Cornelia Darby Currier | 1 of.. Women artist in area, involved in forming C-A Arts Assoc |
Joy Suzanne Dallas Eshelman | 1 of.. African Americans to graduate from U.S. Military Academy at West Point, incorrectly labelled Joan Gellis |
Opal D. David | first woman elected to Albemarle County Board of Supervisors |
Amy Doggett | First woman to graduate from the Naval ROTC program at University of Virginia |
Mattie Dudley | 1982 Medicaid benefits suspended because she transferred a pre-paided funeral plan worth $1200, Gov. Robb waived penalties |
Gertrude Ballou Dunbar | served during WWII overseas, genealogy |
Ann Fulton Humphreys Dyer | 1 of.. Women to graduate from UVA? Medical School, medical missionary |
Mary Ann Wilder Elwood | |
Dorothy Emerson | volunteer extraordinaire, retired from Church Women United, Meals On Wheels, missionary in India |
Frances Farmer | Head Librarian of UVA Law School 1942-76, 1979 started Oral History of UVA Law School's Second Century 1927-2027 |
Francis H. Fife | 1 of.. Mayors to become housing advocate for the poor, City Council 1970-78, Mayor 1972-74 |
Frank Finger | UVA Professor of Psychology, wresting coach, runner (wife- Eleanor "Nell") |
Nancy (Rudolf) Flint | founder of "First Night," C'ville's New Years Eve celebration, 1982? |
Evelyn Patricia Foote | Brigadier General in Army |
Mary Elizabeth Forbes | she married to 72 year old widower who advertised for second wife |
James N. Galloway | environmental science, air quality, funny |
Nina Garfield | first woman president of Temple Beth Israel |
Paul Conrad Garrett | attorney, Charlottesville City Clerk of Circuit Court 1981, 1st Af.Amer. C'ville City Atty 1976, 1971 grad of UVA Law School |
Mary L. Garwood & Rebecca C. Haas | area's first women firefighters |
Paul M. Gaston | author of The New South Creed: A Study in Southern Mythmaking, UVA professor, civil rights leader |
Cynthia Gatton | founder of UVA Chapter of Pi Beta Phi in 74 or 75, 77 BS in EDSA, m. Malloy |
Vivian V. Gordon | first African American woman on UVA faculty to receive tenure, grant to research interracial relations, divorced from Ronald C. Gordon |
Ronald C. Gordon | paralyzed, founded organization to invent Assistive Technology for Individuals with disabilities |
Rae Gore | woman carpenter in area, m. Burnette? |
Mary Gore | gardener at St. Paul's Episcopal Church |
William A.Guthrie | |
Bessie Guy | member of Church Women United, sang for troops oversees, "The Green Pastures" spirituals by Hall Johnson, in film and Europe |
Nancy Hale Bowers | first woman journalist on the New York Times |
Beverly A. Hankins | 1 of.. Working mother who commuted to DC, Ford Theatre restoration, 76 1st female faculty at UVA McIntyre Sch of Commerce |
Sheila Hardy | founder of UVA branch of Delta Epsilon Omega, African Amer fraternity/sorority, 75 BS Nursing, m. Vega |
William McKinley "Bill" Harris | founding dean of UVA's "Afro-American Affairs Office" to promote the welfare of black students, at UVA Aug 76 - July 82 |
Carolyn B. "Karen" HOP Hartsock | young girl who saved her brother and sister in house fire on 6/13/82 |
Satyendra Singh Huja | in charge of building and planning in 1973 (Dir of Planning & Community Development) 1st major project pedestrian (Downtown) mall |
Charlotte Jennings Yancey Humphris | Queen of the 1st Annual C'ville Apple Harvest Festival 10/16-21/1950, 1989-2001on Albemarle County Board of Supervisors |
John & Mary Isreal | funded by Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., US-China People's Friendship Association, divorced |
Alice Wesley Ivory | sculpture, art |
Margaret Jefferson | |
Nathan Johnson | 1st black professor at UVA 1967-79, 6 yrs as Assoc Dir of UVA Desegregation Center |
Cornelia Johnson | 1st black police officer 1976, 3rd female officer |
Donald W. Jones | African American assistant to President of UVA Frank Hereford |
Richard Chapin Jones | first state forester for Virginia, appointed 3/1/1915, taught Forestry at UVA until 1928 |
Frances Ramsey Joseph | to start July 4th Scottsville Festival |
Marion Kanour | woman graduate from UVA Army R.O.T.C. |
Ellie Wood Page Keith | woman to have city street named after her, horseback riding teacher |
Alice Gertrude Whitten Kelso | member of AAUW |
Hazel Hopkins Key | employed 50 years at UVA, assistant librarian in the law school |
Heinz Kramp | founder of Innisfree Village in 1971, a voluntary community with adults with mental disabilities; 1991 started "The Bridge" |
Suzy M. Thomas & Nathan Lane | Tom built Frances Brand's galleries, studied architecture |
Charles "Chuck" Langham | founder of SCROOGE - Society to Curtail Ridiculous Outrageous & Ostentatious Gift Exchanges |
Lyn Lee | doctor |
David Lee | |
Sandra Levine | restored the local American Association of University Women; 1979 helped found Piedmont Council of the Arts |
Priscilla Little | founder of FOCUS organization, helping women start a career; elder at Westminster Presbyterian in 1983; singer |
Liu | first (UVA?) graduate student from China |
Adah Anita Lotti | 1 of 1st woman MD in area, grad of UVA Medical School 1925, 1st class to include women, AAUW |
John Christian Lowe | international lawyer, cofounder of Camp Faith |
Dumas Lowe | Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Biographer-in-Residence, professor emeritus of history at UVA |
John Eacott "Jack" Manahan | |
Anna Anderson Manahan | Claimed to be Anastasia, daughter of Czar Nicholas II of Russia |
Ora Ann Manahan | C'ville City Treasurer |
George & Ruth Maverick | friends of F. Brand; Ruth 8/11/1893-1/4/1983; "lynch" and "maverick" words originated from their family name; m.7/26/1917 San Ant.TX |
Ellen Dale McCallin | first seminarian planning to be a priest |
Irina Igorevna Estakhova McCallin | married UVA Russian Hist. Prof Woodford D. McC. 5/4/1974 in Moscow, reunited 1/30/1986, 1987 Alexandria, "Of Love & Russia" |
Irena Berry Norvelle McCormick | "specialist in living because her life is so rich and also did beautiful quilting" lived to age 107, Covesville |
Sally McCormick | SPCA |
John F. Merchant | first black graduate of UVA law school in 1958, 2004 honored at Conn. Law Day, lives in (Stamford, Stratford, or Southport CT?); golf |
Henry Mitchell | African American president (chairman?) of the Board of Education, priest at Trinity Episcopal |
Gertrude Mitchell | 1st black memb local AAUW, 1st black empl of Army Foreign Science & Tech Ctr, 1st black woman civil servant in Reg 3 of HEW |
Beatrice "Bea" Mook | first woman to deliver baby using Lamaze methods, 2007 publicist for The Jefferson Area Board For Aging |
Martha Brown Morrison | 1st Char-Alb member of the famous 99's, the Int'l Org of Women Pilots, licensed pilot in 1941, came to C'ville in 1968 |
Edith K. Mosher | developed teaching methods; coauthor "ESEA The Office of Education Administers A Law" 1968 |
Susan & Sandra Murray | first girls on boy's soccer team with the City League in C'ville, attended AHS |
Ellen Virginia "Enie" Nash | long standing attorney in area, 1 of 1st women to practice law on C'ville Court Square, 2nd woman on Alb Co Board of Supervisors |
Marion Nolan | m. Stanton |
Nancy Kirkpatrick O'Brien | 1st woman mayor of C'ville |
Doris Overcash | 1st female mail carrier 1973? |
Julia Pace | 1st white female police officer |
Yvette Parsons | hospital ombudsman in area |
Camilla or Comilla Payne | 1st teacher of Arts in local public schools |
Sara A. Payne | 1st woman minister of Presbyterian Church in Crozet |
Catherine G. "Kay" Peaslee | first woman to produce a newspaper (weekly), 1978 founded The Observer |
Elizabeth Pigeon | early 1900's was the only woman professor at UVA, founded Charlottesville Chapter of AAUW |
Anna Lucia Puerta | 1st flag woman in area |
Elbert L. Radford | Scottsville |
Booker Reaves | African American to receive master's degree from UVA |
Brenda C. Redmond | 1 of 1st women mystery writers in area, wrote Rena under pen name B. Gayle pub. 1977 |
Amy Carter Reid | African American woman Baptist minister ordained 1944, president of C'ville Church Women United |
Glenda F. Richardson | 1st woman welder in area |
Jill Tietsort Rinehart | first woman member of the Charlottesville City Council 1972-1976 |
Leslie E. Rudolf | 1st MD to perform kidney transplant in area; Amer Soc. Of Transplant Surgeons 5/22/1978? |
Ralph L. Jr. Sampson | professional basketball player (1983-1992), while at UVA was a three-time College Player of the Year; 1979-83 at UVA |
Virginia Ann Scott | first woman who sued to open UVA to women, 1969-70 (Carolyn can get contact info.) |
Elizabeth TOWE Seabrook | 1978 became The Senior Center's exec. Director; 1989 Woman of the Year |
Jannene L. Shannon | area's first woman judge |
W. Ralph Singleton | 1st from area to perfect a hybrid corn which then was grown all over the world |
William Spence Smith | Presbyterian minister, community workshops, at Westminster 1969-88 |
Zengxuan Song | painting- "TC-1 Cell Line" lab coat, bottle |
William A. Stickle | first Roman Catholic chaplain to UVA 1959-75; founded St. Thomas Aquinas 1963 |
Gregory Hayes Swanson | first African American who sued to open UVA to African Americans, applied in 1950 at age 26, lawyer from Danville |
Kathryn C. SORENSON Thornton | astronaut, selected by NASA in May 1984, became astronaut in July 1985, physicist |
Grace L. Tinsley | 1st African American member of C'ville Board of Education |
Elizabeth Nelson Tompkins | 1st woman graduate of UVA School of Law 1923, 23-25 law office of Judge Duke, 1925 on in Richmond |
Paul Toomey | champion ice skater from area, field research in India, later in Boston |
Mary Updike | started meals on Wheels in area |
Otis Updike | Professor Emeritus of chemical and biochemical engineering at UVA, worked with NASA, 41 BS CHE |
Joseph Lee Vaughan | 1st UVA Provost |
Teresa J. Walker Price | 1st African American librarian in local school system |
Miriam Cooper Walsh | 1st woman Hollywood movie star in area |
Hong Kui Wang | 1st scholar from mainland China to come to UVA, computer expert 1980's, holding "Edward A. Parish Jr. Elec ENGR, Computers" |
Constance Chandler Ward | 1st woman from St. Paul Church to become a priest Feb. 1978 |
Linwood Hughes Warwick | Geologist for Virginia for 50 years, 1908-1959, U.S. Geological Survey |
Randolph White | Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune |
Eugene Williams | buys and renovates houses to rent or sell, 1954 pres. of local NAACP |
David Wilson | to have psychiatric hosp named after him, founded UVA's Psychiatric department, 1938 estab UVA's 1st psychiatric ward |
Margaret Wood | first woman hired by UVA to teach stress training, Soroptimist Int'l |
Jay Worrall | Founder of Offender Aid & Restoration June 1970, Colonel in Army, Quaker (MACH Vol. 40), founder of & 1st exec dir of MACAA |
1st mainland Chinese woman to work at a local job, given Apple computer when returned to China, pharmacologist? |
External Links
Interview with Frances Brand about her interactions with civil rights leaders, provided by the University of Virginia Library[dead link]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Web. Remarkable "firsts" in Charlottesville, Lynn Rainville, Blog Post, Loco History, July 27, 2008, retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Web. Purple Gain: France Brand's house gets painted, Maxey Hackworth, The Hook, January 30, 2003, retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ Web. [ Our Firsts, Great and Small], Aleta Burchyski, Charlottesville Woman, March 1, 2011, retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ Web. Online Exhibit: France Brand Collection Exhibit, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedpainting
- ↑ Web. Online Exhibit: France Brand Collection Exhibit, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, January 30, 2003, retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ https://gisweb.charlottesville.org/GisViewer/