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52-775: Mary Hunter Austin (September 9, 1868 – August 13, 1934) was an American writer. One of the early nature writers of the American Southwest , her classic The Land of Little Rain (1903) describes the fauna, flora, and people of the region between the High Sierra and the Mojave Desert of southern California . Mary Hunter Austin was born on September 9, 1868, in Carlinville, Illinois (the fourth of six children) to Susannah (née Graham) and George Hunter. She graduated from Blackburn College in 1888. Her family moved to California in

104-464: A naturalist as well as an engraver . Throughout the 19th century, works of nature writing included those of American ornithologist John James Audubon (1785–1851), Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913). Additional authors who published modern works include English author Richard Jefferies (1848-1887), American authors Susan Fenimore Cooper (1813–1894) and Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). Other significant writers in

156-463: A friendship with Austin in 1904, Sterling enticed her to join him in Carmel. In 1906, she had a tree house constructed, that she called “ Wick-i-up ”, built by M.J. Murphy , based on a design by San Francisco architect Louis Christian Mullgardt . She wrote much of her writings from this tree house.. Austin hired Murphy in 1907 to create a Craftsman -style cottage she called "Rose Cottage." The property

208-533: A respected figure in literary and scientific communities after his first work was published in 1791. The tradition of clerical naturalists can be traced back to the monastic writings of the Middle Ages, although under modern-day definitions, these writings about animals and plants cannot be correctly classified as natural history. Notable early parson-naturalists were William Turner (1508–1568), John Ray (1627–1705) and William Derham (1657–1735). Gilbert White

260-407: A series of journeys across the globe that Deakin made to meet people whose lives are intimately connected to trees and wood. German contributions to nature writing include German author Peter Wohlleben's book The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate . Published in 2016, it was translated from German into English and subsequently became a New York Times Bestseller . In 2017,

312-447: A student from 1879 to 1881 who became a professional artist and a lifelong friend. Dora's mother Candace Wheeler wrote in her memoirs of Chase's contagious enthusiasm, "the most generous of teachers, not only giving exhaustively of his stored knowledge of how to do things, but fostering as well the will to do it. Later, somewhat against his will, he was persuaded to take charge of an art-school at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island . . . " At

364-638: Is best remembered for two series of landscape subjects, both painted in an impressionist manner. The first was his scenes of Prospect and Central Parks in New York; the second were his summer landscapes at Shinnecock. Chase usually featured people prominently in his landscapes. Often he depicted woman and children in leisurely poses, relaxing on a park bench, on the beach, or lying in the summer grass at Shinnecock. The Shinnecock works in particular have come to be thought of by art historians as particularly fine examples of American Impressionism . In 1903, Chase rented

416-488: Is known for Silent Spring , published in 1962. Carson heralded a new and pointed style of nature writing that carried stronger warnings of environmental loss as climate change became an increasing conflict throughout the 20th century. Relevant contemporary nature writers in Britain include Richard Mabey , Roger Deakin , Mark Cocker , and Oliver Rackham . Rackham's books included Ancient Woodland (1980) and The History of

468-752: Is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the Camino del Monte Sol Historic District . Austin died August 13, 1934, in Santa Fe. Mount Mary Austin , in the Sierra Nevada , was named in her honor. It is located 8.5 miles west of her long time home in Independence, California . A biography was published in 1939. The Austin home in Independence, California, designed and built by

520-630: Is located at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Monte Verde Street. The cottage has gardens and two gates with paths leading to it. At this cottage, she entertained her friends, including London, Sterling, and Lewis. Today, the cottage is listed as the Mary Austin House with the Carmel Inventory Of Historic Resources, and was recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation as significant under California register criterion as

572-564: Is perhaps best known for his portraits, and his sitters including some of the most important men and women of his time. His portrait of painter Lydia Field Emmet in 1892 depicts Emmet in a pose typically reserved for men in old masters' paintings. Emmet's hand is on her hip and she looks over her shoulder at the audience. Chase also frequently painted his wife Alice and their children, sometimes in individual portraits, and other times in scenes of domestic tranquility: at breakfast in their backyard, or relaxing at their summer home on Long Island ,

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624-530: The British Council offered an education bursary and workshop opportunities to six young German authors deemed to be dedicated to nature writing. William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849 – October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later became

676-602: The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club 's Summer School Of Art. His former student, Jennie V. Cannon , in conjunction with Chase's business manager C. P. Townsley and Carmel's co-founder James Franklin Devendorf , persuaded the esteemed painter to visit the Pacific Coast with promises of generous financial returns. Suffering from declining health (cirrhosis of the liver), Chase took the opportunity shortly after his arrival to meet with

728-500: The Forest Theater , The Arrow Maker , and confessed to Cannon that he found the play dreary. Apparently, Dr. Daniel MacDougal, head of the local Carnegie Institute, paid for most of her production costs, because of his not-so-secret love affair with the writer. In August 1914, one of Chase's students, Helena Wood Smith , was brutally strangled and buried on the beach by her Japanese lover, art-photographer George Kodani, Austin joined

780-400: The Mojave Desert . Her publications set forth the intimate knowledge she thus acquired. She was a prolific novelist, poet, critic, and playwright, as well as an early feminist and defender of Native American and Spanish-American rights. Austin is best known for her tribute to the deserts of California, The Land of Little Rain (1903). Her play, The Arrow Maker , dealing with Indian life,

832-534: The National Academy of Design under Lemuel Wilmarth , a student of the famous French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme . In 1870, declining family fortunes forced Chase to leave New York for St. Louis, Missouri , where his family was then based. While he worked to help support his family he became active in the St. Louis art community, winning prizes for his paintings at a local exhibition. He also exhibited his first painting at

884-549: The Parsons School of Design . William Merritt Chase was born on November 1, 1849, in Williamsburg (now Nineveh ), Indiana, to the family of Sarah Swain and David H. Chase, a local businessman. Chase's father moved the family to Indianapolis in 1861, and employed his son as a salesman in the family business. Chase showed an early interest in art, and studied under local, self-taught artists Barton S. Hays and Jacob Cox . At

936-581: The Americas throughout the late 1700s, observing the native flora and fauna ; his work, now known as Bartram's Travels , was published in 1791. Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis , in their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley , name Bartram as "the first naturalist who penetrated the dense tropical forests of Florida." Another early illustrated work of nature writing

988-641: The Countryside (1986). Richard Mabey has been involved with radio and television programmes on nature, and his book Nature Cure, describes his experiences and recovery from depression in the context of man's relationship with landscape and nature. He has also edited and introduced editions of Richard Jefferies, Gilbert White, Flora Thompson and Peter Matthiessen . Mark Cocker has written extensively for British newspapers and magazines and his books include Birds Britannica (with Richard Mabey) (2005). and Crow Country (2007). He frequently writes about modern responses to

1040-620: The German book publishing company Matthes & Seitz Berlin began to grant the German Award for Nature Writing , an annual literary award for German writers who fulfill criteria within nature writing as a literary genre. It comes with a prize of 10,000 euro and an additional artist in residency grant of six weeks at the International Academy for Nature Conservation of Germany in Vilm . In 2018,

1092-840: The National Academy in 1871. Chase's talent elicited the interest of wealthy St. Louis collectors who arranged for him to visit Europe for two years, in exchange for paintings and Chase's help in securing European art for their collections. In Europe, Chase settled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich , a long-standing center of art training that was attracting increasing numbers of Americans and attracted Chase because it had fewer distractions than Paris. He studied under Alexander von Wagner and Karl von Piloty , and befriended American artists Walter Shirlaw , Frank Duveneck , and J(oseph) Frank Currier. In Munich, Chase employed his rapidly burgeoning talent most often in figurative works that he painted in

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1144-1174: The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1896 to 1909; the Art Students League from 1878 to 1896 and again from 1907 to 1911; and the Brooklyn Art Association in 1887 and from 1891 to 1896. Along with Robert Henri , who became a rival instructor, Chase was the most important teacher of American artists around the turn of the 20th century. In addition to his instruction of East Coast artists like George Bellows , Louise Upton Brumback , Howard Chandler Christy , Kate Freeman Clark , Jay Hall Connaway , Mariette Leslie Cotton , Charles Demuth , Silas Dustin , Lydia Field Emmet , George Pearse Ennis , Marsden Hartley , Annie Traquair Lang , John Marin , M. Jean McLane , Frances Miller Mumaugh , Georgia O'Keeffe , Leopold Seyffert , Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones , Joseph Stella , Lillian Elvira Moore Abbot , and Edward Charles Volkert , he had an important role in influencing California art at

1196-693: The United States in the summer of 1878, a highly skilled artist representing the new wave of European-educated American talent. Home in America, he exhibited his painting Ready for the Ride (collection of the Union League Club) with the newly formed Society of American Artists in 1878. He also opened a studio in New York in the Tenth Street Studio Building , home to many of the important painters of

1248-524: The Villa La Meridiana near Careggi, Florence, to which he would return to paint each summer. Later he bought the Villa Silli, south of the city. Chase continued to paint still lifes throughout his career as he had done since his student days. Decorative objects filled his studios and homes, and his interior figurative scenes frequently included still life images. He was particularly adept at capturing

1300-461: The age of 19, he decided to become a sailor and travelled with his friend to Annapolis where he was commissioned to a merchant ship. After a brief three-month stint in the Navy, Chase understood that it was not for him and his teachers urged him to travel to New York to further his artistic training. He arrived in New York in 1869, met and studied with Joseph Oriel Eaton for a short time, then enrolled in

1352-470: The battle was lost, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , Stafford moved to Death Valley, California and Mary relocated to the art colony at Carmel-by-the-Sea, California . There Austin was part of the cultural circle that included Jack London , Ambrose Bierce , Harry Leon Wilson , George Sterling , Nora May French , Arnold Genthe , James Hopper , Alice MacGowan , Gelett Burgess , Sinclair Lewis , and Xavier Martinez . Two years after developing

1404-507: The children playing on the floor or among the sand dunes of Shinnecock. In an 1895 painting titled A Friendly Call , his wife is depicted wearing a yellow dress and entertaining a caller dressed in white. In addition to painting portraits and full-length figurative works, Chase began painting landscapes in earnest in the late 1880s. His interest in landscape art may have been spawned by the landmark New York exhibit of French impressionist works from Parisian dealer Durand-Ruel in 1886. Chase

1456-742: The couple, became a California Historical Landmark. A teleplay of The Land of Little Rain was written by Doris Baizley and presented on American Playhouse in 1989; it starred Helen Hunt . A 1950 edition of The Land of Little Rain and a 1977 edition of Taos Pueblo each included photographs by Ansel Adams. Nature writer Nature writing encompasses a wide variety of works, ranging from those that place primary emphasis on natural history (such as field guides) to those focusing on philosophical interpretation. It includes poetry, essays of solitude or escape, as well as travel and adventure writing. Modern-day nature writing traces its roots to works of natural history that initially gained popularity in

1508-593: The dates of emergence of more than 400 plant and animal species in Hampshire and Sussex between 1768 and 1793. Their findings were summarized in The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne , in which they recorded the earliest and latest dates for each event over a 25-year period. The data recorded by White and Markwick are among the earliest examples of modern phenology . American botanist, natural historian, and explorer William Bartram traveled extensively in

1560-1022: The day. He was a member of the Tilers , a group of artists and authors, among whom were some of his notable friends: Winslow Homer , Arthur Quartley and Augustus Saint Gaudens . In 1881, friend and artist William Preston Phelps travelled back to Europe to team up with Chase to go on a working tour of Italy , Venice , Capri then back to Germany . Chase cultivated multiple personae: sophisticated cosmopolitan, devoted family man, and esteemed teacher. Chase married Alice Gerson in 1887 and together they raised eight children during Chase's most energetic artistic period. His eldest daughters, Alice Dieudonnee Chase and Dorothy Bremond Chase, often modeled for their father. In New York City, however, Chase became known for his flamboyance, especially in his dress, his manners, and most of all in his studio. At Tenth Street, Chase had moved into Albert Bierstadt 's old studio and had decorated it as an extension of his own art. Chase filled

1612-588: The directors of San Francisco's forthcoming Panama–Pacific International Exposition to secure his own exhibition gallery, which he had been denied earlier. He was adored by his Carmel students, several of whom published extensive descriptions of his lectures and teaching methods. Chase found the art colony at Carmel too confining socially and moved his residence to the nearby luxury Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, where he negotiated several important portrait commissions. In mid-August one of his students, Helena Wood Smith ,

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1664-417: The effect of light on metallic surfaces such as copper bowls and pitchers. Perhaps Chase's most famous still life subject was dead fish, which he liked to paint against dark backgrounds, limp on a plate as though fresh from a fishmonger's stall. He was known for purchasing the dead fish at the market, painting them quickly, and then returning them before they spoiled. Chase won many honors at home and abroad,

1716-416: The genre include Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), John Burroughs (1837–1931) and John Muir (1838–1914). The second half of the 20th century saw a significant increase in nature writing in fiction and non-fiction in Britain. One of the earliest of these works was John Moore (1907–1967), a best-selling pioneer conservationist . Writing from the 1930s to 1960s, he was described by Sir Compton Mackenzie as

1768-490: The home of one of the bohemian founders of the artist colony at Carmel. Austin was one of the founders of the local Forest Theater , where in 1913 she premiered and directed her three-act play Fire. In July 1914, she joined William Merritt Chase , the distinguished New York painter who was teaching his last summer class in Carmel, at several society "teas" and privately in his studio, where he finished her portrait. The well-known artist Jennie V. Cannon reported that he began

1820-621: The instigation of Mrs. William Hoyt, Chase opened the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art on eastern Long Island, New York in 1891. He taught there until 1902. Chase adopted the plein air method of painting, and often taught his students in outdoor classes. He also opened the Chase School of Art in 1896, which became the New York School of Art two years later with Chase staying on as instructor until 1907. Chase taught at

1872-592: The local culture of New Mexico, establishing the Spanish Colonial Arts Society in 1925 with artist Frank Applegate. In 1929, while living in New Mexico, Austin co-authored a book with photographer Ansel Adams . Published a year later, the book, Taos Pueblo , was printed in a limited edition of only 108 copies. It now is quite rare because, rather than reproductions, it included photographs made by Adams. Her home in Santa Fe, at 439 Camino del Monte Sol,

1924-705: The loosely brushed style popular with his instructors. In January 1876, one of these figural works, a portrait titled "Keying Up" – The Court Jester (now in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts ) was exhibited at the Boston Art Club ; later that year it was exhibited and won a medal at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition , and this success gained Chase his first fame. Chase traveled to Venice, Italy in 1877 with Duveneck and John Henry Twachtman before returning to

1976-409: The mob who disparaged local authorities for their incompetence. After 1914 her visits to Carmel were relatively brief. After visiting Santa Fe in 1918, Austin helped establish The Santa Fe Little Theatre (still operating today as The Santa Fe Playhouse ) and directed the group's first production held February 14, 1919, at the art museum's St. Francis Auditorium . Austin also was active in preserving

2028-738: The most talented writer about the countryside of his generation. Moore's contemporaries included Henry Williamson (1895–1977), best known for Tarka the Otter , whose imaginative prose won him the Hawthornden Prize in 1928. Other 20th century writers included American authors Edward Abbey (1927–1989), Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) and Indian author M. Krishnan (1912–1996). After World War II , other writers emerged including English teacher and naturalist Margaret Hutchinson (1904–1997), who strongly advocated for raising children as naturalists from an early age. American author Rachel Carson (1907–1964)

2080-597: The painting as a class demonstration after Austin claimed that two of her portraits, which were executed by famous artists in the Latin Quarter of Paris, had already been accepted to the Salon. Apparently, Chase was not deterred by Austin's "pushiness and claims to extra-sensory perceptions", but was more interested in her appointment as director of East Coast publicity for San Francisco's Panama–Pacific International Exposition . On July 25, 1914, Chase attended her Indian melodrama in

2132-567: The same year and established a homestead in the San Joaquin Valley . She married Stafford Wallace Austin on May 18, 1891, in Bakersfield, California . He was from Hawaii, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley , United States General Land Office employee, and, later, Potash War lawyer. For 17 years, Austin made a special study of the lives of the indigenous peoples of

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2184-422: The second half of the 18th century, and continued to do so throughout the 19th century. An important early figure in nature writing was the parson-naturalist Gilbert White (1720–1793), a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist. He is best known for writing Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789). William Bartram (1739–1823) was another significant American pioneer naturalist who became

2236-601: The studio with lavish furniture, decorative objects, stuffed birds, oriental carpets, and exotic musical instruments. The studio served as a focal point for the sophisticated and fashionable members of the New York City art world of the late 19th century. By 1895, the cost of maintaining the studio, in addition to his other residences, forced Chase to close it and auction the contents. In addition to his painting, Chase actively developed an interest in teaching. Initially he took on private pupils, among his first being Dora Wheeler ,

2288-588: The summer months to tour the important European art centers. In 1903, Chase and his students visited Haarlem in the Netherlands , where Chase was inspired by a schutterstuk by Frans Hals. He made a self-portrait of himself in the role of one of Hals' schutters, choosing his look-alike Johan Claesz Loo featured in The Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company in 1633 . Chase worked in all media. He

2340-419: The turn of the century, especially in interactions with Arthur Frank Mathews , Xavier Martinez , Percy Gray and Shirley Williamson . He also had an important role in influencing Texas Impressionism, and taught painters Julian Onderdonk and Alice Schille . He also taught Midwestern artist, Sara Shewell Hayden . After stopping his work at Shinnecock Hills, Chase began taking groups of students overseas in

2392-491: The wild, whether found in landscape, human societies or in other species. Roger Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and environmentalist. In 1999, Deakin's acclaimed book Waterlog was published. Inspired in part by the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever , it describes his experiences of ' wild swimming ' in Britain's rivers and lakes and advocates open access to the countryside and waterways. Deakin's book Wildwood appeared posthumously in 2007. It describes

2444-539: Was A History of British Birds by Thomas Bewick , published in two volumes. Volume 1, "Land Birds", appeared in 1797. Volume 2, "Water Birds", appeared in 1804. The book was considered to be the first " field guide " for non-specialists. Bewick provided an accurate illustration of each species, listed the common and scientific name(s) and cited the naming authorities. Each bird is described with its distribution and behavior, often with extensive quotations from external sources or correspondents. Critics noted Bewick's skill as

2496-785: Was a member of the National Academy of Design , New York, and from 1885 to 1895 was president of the Society of American Artists . He became a member of the Ten American Painters after John Henry Twachtman died. Chase's creativity declined in his later years, especially as modern art took hold in America, but he continued to paint and teach into the 1910s. During this period Chase taught such up and coming young artists as Wilhelmina Weber Furlong , Arthur Hill Gilbert , and Edward Hopper . At Carmel-by-the-Sea from July through September 1914 Chase taught his last summer class, his largest with over one hundred pupils and his most problematic, at

2548-429: Was an English ecologist , who expressed encouragement towards an increased respect for nature. He said of the earthworm : "Earthworms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm. [...] worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them." Along with naturalist William Markwick ,White collected records of

2600-460: Was brutally murdered by her Japanese lover, which caused the cancellation of several classes, near violent hysteria in the art colony, and the early departure of some of his students. Chase continued with his regular teaching schedule, held meetings with important regional artists, such as William Ritschel , painted several local scenes, and experimented with monotypes. Chase died on October 25, 1916, at his home in New York City, an esteemed elder of

2652-525: Was most fluent in oil painting and pastel , but also created watercolor paintings and etchings . S.G.W. Benjamin said of his style in a contemporary review: A noble sense of color is perceptible in all his works, whether in the subtle elusive tints of flesh, or in the powerful rendering of a mass of scarlet, as in his notable painting of the "Court Jester". In the painting of a portrait he endeavors, sometimes very successfully, to seize character, although occasionally rather too impressionist in style. He

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2704-511: Was produced at the New Theatre , ( New York ) in 1911, the same year she published a rhapsodic tribute to her acquaintance H. G. Wells as a producer of "informing, vitalizing, indispensable books" in the American Magazine . Austin and her husband were involved in the local California Water Wars , after which the water of Owens Valley eventually was drained to supply Los Angeles. When

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