Thomas Russell Ybarra

Today we turn our attention to an immigrant from
Venezuela residing in Boston and New York. Thomas
Russell Ybarra was writing articles for magazines in
New York as early as 1907. He was born in Caracas
in 1880. He grew up traveling between Boston and
Caracas, but always gravitated towards the literary
circles of NYC.
This photograph comes from his book called
"The Young Man From Caracas," published in 1941.
The book is a mixture of autobiography and
memoirs with several nice illustrations from the
author's early days.
Reading this book is an immersion into a
different era.

Now, I call on my readers to contribute some more
information on the continuation of this story. Where
did Tom Ybarra end up? Any descendants out there?

The moderator

Ann H. Judson

Our journey today takes to South East Asia, to the jungles of Burma. That's
where Ann H. Judson and her husband Adoniram ended up as missionaries.
They were appointed by the American Board of Missions as part of the
missionary team to Burma in 1811. They sailed from Salem in February of
1812 and they arrived in Calcutta in June. That's where their adventures
began. They endured persecution, incarceration, and tropical diseases. Mrs.
Judson was pregnant several times, and each time she lost her baby to the
raging infections of the jungle. After many years of tireless service, she
herself lost her life in Burma. She never returned to America.
Her husband Adoniram remarried and had several children.

Germanicus

H.Rider Haggard

Our feature today is the prolific British author H. Rider Haggard. He did most
of his writing in the second half of the 19th century. The illustration for today's
entry is the title page for his book "DOCTOR THERNE," published in 1898.
In this book Mr. Haggard provides for us a window to a period when
immunizations were still a matter of controversy. Mr. Haggard was inspired
to write this book because, during his travels, he had seen first hand the
suffering of the victims of smallpox. Then he returned to England to find a
group of activists known as the "anti-vaccinationists." These are described
as agitators who want to stop people from receiving immunizations against
smallpox. The character Dr. Therne is involved in this controversy as the
story unfolds.
It is interesting to note that in our own times we also have a number of
people with strong reservations about vaccines. There are many claims
about a connection between immunizations and autism. By reading this
book we are able to see how that controversy was handled back in the
1890's.

We know very little about H. Rider Haggard, the author, except for
the obvious indication that he was a very prolific writer. We welcome the
contributions of any readers of this blog to help us know more about
Mr. Haggard.

Germanicus

Trapp Family

Today we take a look at an all time favorite. A real classic:
"The Sound of Music".
I discovered this little paperback in a second hand store
and it really surprised me to learn that the characters in
the classic movie are based on real people. The movie
script is also based on a real-life story. Moreover, here is
the heroine herself narrating her story in the first person.
Her name is Maria Augusta Trapp and, through 380 pages
she takes us on a journey from the Tirol to Salzburg to
Vienna and across the mountains to the Italian border.
I have learned that Maria's name was really Maria and
she was indeed cloistered in an Abbey when she was sent
on a special assignment to help the widower navy captain
von Trapp. If you know the story, you'd love the extra
details splahed all across this book.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Germanicus

Anna Baltauf

Today we enjoy a real treat!
Scavanging through a yard sale I found this vintage
recipe book published by the food company Walter
Baker & Co. From this book we learn quite a few
fascinating facts besides learning how to make
"Wellesley Marshmallow Fudge" or "Baker's
Chocolate Divinity." Among other things, I have
learned that Walter Baker & Co. was a giant operation
with the company mills occupying 14 acres of space.
I have also learned that a guy named Baron von
Liebig was "one of the best-known writers on
dietetics" back at the turn of the century. The names
of the people providing the recipes are Miss Maria
Parloa, Miss Fannie Merritt Farmer, Miss Elizabeth
Kevill Burr, and Miss Janet McKenzie Hill. All of
their recipes are really for desserts involving chocolate
in some form or another. No biographical or
professional information is given about the writers.
But we sure find lots of information about the
girl pictured on the book's cover.
The Viennese girl holding a tray on the book's front
and back cover is the subject of a lengthy discussion.
According to the book, this picture was the company's
logo and she was "known all over the world as 'La Belle
Chocolatiere,' the trade-mark that distinguishes the
Cocoa and Chocolate preparations made by Walter
Baker & Co. Ltd." We learn that the company got this
image from a famous painting which "was the master-
piece of Jean-Etianne Liotard, a noted Swiss painter
who was born in 1702 and died in 1790." The next
line acquires some tragic connotations because it
tells us that this famous painting was on display in the
city of Dresden (Germany). Well, we all know what
happened to Dresden during WWII. Dresden was
that city that Americans decided "to destroy in order
to save it." The book (written in 1914) mentions that
the painting "is one of the chief attractions in the
Dresden Gallery, being better known and more sought
after than any other work of art in that collection."

Apparently the crowds of art lovers visiting the Dresden
Gallery were drawn to this girl carrying a tray with a
couple of drinks. The book claims that "there is a romance
connected with the charming Viennese girl who served as
the model." Then the book goes on to reveal some new
information that had been uncovered by a newspaper.
We are told that the girl's name is Anna Baltauf. She was
the daughter of Melchior Baltauf. He was a knight and he
was residing in Vienna at the time when the artist came
to the city to make some portraits of the members of the
Austrian court. The newspaper reporters were not able
to determine whether Miss Anna Baltauf was just posing
as a servant or she was actually a "chocolate bearer." In
any case that is irrelevant. What really matters is what
happened after the painting was finished. A certain Mr.
Dietrichstein, who happened to be an Austrian Prince, saw
the portrait of Anna Baltauf and fell in love with her.
He pursued her and married her. The book adds that
"the marriage caused a great deal of talk in Austrian
society at the time" because the daughter of a knight "was
not consider a good match for a member of the court." But
wait. There is more. "It is said," the book continues, "that
on the wedding day Anna invited the chocolate bearers with
whom she had worked or played, and in 'sportive joy at her
own elevation' offered her hand to them saying , 'Behold!
Now that I am a princess you may kiss my hand."
The painting was done about 1760. Anna was about twenty
years of age at that time. She lived until 1825.

My question today is: What happened to this painting
when the city of Dresden was destroyed? Does anybody know?
We also welcome any information available out there regarding
the authors of the recipes.

Germanicus

Shirley John, cover girl

In August of 1945 the cover of Coronet magazine was graced
by the smiling face of a lovely blond girl. Inside the magazine,
however, we find no information about her, except for one
brief line that identifies her as Shirley John. That's all. We know
nothing else about the young girl in a polk-a-dot dress with
matching bandana.
I bet she's smiling because the price of the magazine was only 25c.
I invite any readers who know more about this cover girl to help
us find out who she was. Was she a model? A movie star?
A contestant in a beauty pageant? We welcome any information.

Germanicus

Champion Dog

Today's entry is about a dog who can be described as the equivalent of the little engine that could.
This Cocker Spaniel was nothing special at birth. Nobody saw any promise in him. Then by 1957
Prince Tom had developed into a polished and confident guy. He became the first American cocker
to win the National Field Trials. It must be said, however, that this blog is not about dogs, but about
people. So let's focus on the people who helped him become a champion. His instructors at the
obedience school were Jim Norris, Gladys Farrand, and Sophia Washburn. His professional handlers
were Bub Knodle and Ruffie Eakin. Then his official "biographers" were Tom Clute and Jean Fritz.

Again I call on our readers to contribute information to continue the story of this dog and all the
kind people who helped him.

To read some excerpts from this book, please e-mail gardens2u@gmail.com

Germanicus