Poe Sisters
Elisabeth Ellicott Poe | |
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Vylla Poe Wilson | |
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Elisabeth "Bessie" Ellicott Poe (July 27, 1886-September 29, 1947)[1][2][3] and Vylla Ellicott Poe Wilson (February 27, 1883-October 2, 1969)[4] were journalists in Washington, DC. They sometimes collaborated on a woman's column under the name the Poe Sisters.
They were the daughters of inventor George Poe, Jr., a cousin of the poet Edgar Allan Poe.[5] For most of their lives, they worked for mostly Washington DC newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Washington Times-Herald, and King Features Syndicate, in a variety of editorial capacities, covering art, women's issues, and the White House.[3][4][6]
During World War I, the Poe sisters were organizers of the Women's Section of the Navy League and its training camp for women in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[7]
In 1933, Evalyn Walsh McLean, wife of Washington Post owner Edward Beale McLean, enlisted the sisters to briefly pawn the Hope Diamond on her behalf when she needed cash.[8]
Together, the Poe sisters published the books Edgar Allan Poe: A High Priest of the Beautiful and Half-Forgotten Romances of American History. In 1930, they started a magazine called The Stylus, named after the periodical Edgar Allan Poe was unable to create.[9] Both sisters were painters and exhibited their work locally. Elisabeth Poe exhibited more frequently and primarily painted watercolors.[3][10]
References
- ^ Koykka, Arthur S. (1986). Project remember : a national index of gravesites of notable Americans. Internet Archive. Algonac, MI : Reference Publications. ISBN 978-0-917256-22-6.
- ^ Marquis-Who S Who, Inc (1975). Who was who in american history, arts and letters. Internet Archive. Chicago : Marquis Who'S Who. ISBN 978-0-8379-3301-6.
- ^ a b c "Miss Elisabeth Poe, Newspaperwoman and Artist, Dies". Washington Star. September 30, 1947. pp. A-3.
- ^ a b "Wylla Poe Wilson Dies; Newspaperwoman, 86". Washington Star. October 4, 1969.
- ^ "George Poe is dead". Washington Post. February 3, 1914. p. 16.
- ^ Ross, Ishbel (1936). Ladies Of The Press.
- ^ "Baltimore Girls who will prepare for war service at Chevy Chase". Baltimore Sun. 9 Apr 1916. p. 28.
- ^ Richard Kurin (2006). Hope diamond. Internet Archive. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-0-06-087351-6.
- ^ "Cousins Found Magazine Like Poe Dreamed Of". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 19 Jan 1930. pp. A8.
- ^ None (1999). Who was who in American art, 1564-1975 : 400 years of artists in America. Internet Archive. Madison, CT : Sound View Press. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3.