This issue will feature a little history from the published articles of Mayo Hayes O’Donnell, Casa Serrano’s artwork, and activities at the Mayo Hayes O’Donnell Library.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on the finances of nonprofit organizations everywhere. The museum at Stanton Center has never generated much income for the Association, and our current joint venture partner, Dali at 17 Mile Drive, who manages day-to-day operations at Stanton Center and operates the magic shows is also having difficulty. We are hopeful that the summer months and the return of tourists will turn this situation around as the summer progresses. More long term, the Association would benefit greatly from possible gifts and donations as described below. It was largely through the past gifts and donations of our generous membership that the Association was able to acquire historic buildings and important artworks from the community of Monterey artists. Your support helps keep alive Monterey's history. With your help, we can inspire and educate audiences both young and old about the history of Monterey.

The Association greatly benefits from the immediacy of monetary donations, but that is not the only way to help. Please consider these ways to support MHAA:

·     Wills and Living Trusts

·       Bequest Language

·       Beneficiary Designations

·       Charitable Gift Annuities

·       Charitable Remainder Trusts

·       IRA Charitable Rollover

·       Charitable Lead Trusts

·       Real Estate

We also need new volunteers, especially at the Mayo Hayes O’Donnell Library. The Library needs help to staff Thursday and Saturday afternoons. If you are interested in learning about the research done at the Library, helping educate visitors about the history of Monterey, or in supporting visiting researchers, please let us know. The only requirements are: availability and an interest in Monterey history.

A Brief Biography of Artist Alice B. Chittenden

In California art history today the name Alice B. Chittenden is almost synonymous with lush still-life roses in full bloom. However, during her lifetime the artist was also a highly respected portrait painter and landscapist. She was also an important educator. Miss Chittenden taught for forty-three years at her alma mater, the San Francisco Art Association’s School of design, from 1897 to 1940. Under her direction during the Victorian era, hundreds of students learned the mysteries of painting flowers and landscapes. In her later teaching years, she concentrated on California poppies and vine tendrils which were applied to the Arts and Crafts movement.

Alice was born October 14, 1859 in Brockport, New York (near Rochester). Her mother and engineering father moved to San Francisco when she was a child. The couple encouraged their daughter’s artistic talent. When she was eighteen Alice enrolled at the City’s Art School. She completed four years of academic training under its director, Virgil Williams. From him, Alice learned the art of portraiture. On her own, the budding artist became interested in painting flowers. Since there were no teachers who specialized in still-life paintings, she taught herself. Her still-life paintings brought her fame and national recognition. By 1883 the San Francisco newspaper reported in awe about her work at the Art Association’s Spring exhibit. They wrote, “She has found Nature in her beautiful flower panels.” Alice’s painting entitled “chrysanthemums” was an award-winning entry at the 1893 Chicago World Fair. The judges remarked that she “was the strongest flower painter and gives those much-abused subjects character and the value they deserve.” In 1908 two of her rose paintings were hung in the Paris Salon, and one received a medal from the Societe des Artistes of Francais. Three decades later, the artist was still obsessed with flowers. At the1939-1940 San Francisco’s World’s Fair on Treasure Island, a whole building was devoted to the display of hundreds of paintings depicting western wildflowers in natural settings rendered by Alice. She worked alongside Alice Eastwood, Curator of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences. The six paintings hanging in the bedroom at Casa Serrano are probably from this exhibit.

After graduating from the San Francisco Art School, Alice married Charles Overton in 1887, but the couple soon divorced, and she chose to retain her maiden name. She remained unmarried, living in the fashionable Pacific Heights area of the city. She was popular in the social circles of the time, often traveling abroad for study and vacation. Frequently she traveled to estates in San Mateo to make not only portraits of the wealthy mansion owners, but also painted the flowers in their opulent gardens. Like so many others, Alice lost all her possessions in the 1906 earthquake. Heartbroken, she went East to stay with her sister, vowing never to return. However, in 1910 she was back in San Francisco, where she remained for the rest of her life, constantly painting and exhibiting. Alice passed on her 85th birthday in 1944 in her home by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Visit Casa Serrano to see the six flower paintings.

Casa Serrano is open Saturdays and Sundays 2-4 pm.

The library has enjoyed a very favorable response to our weekly book sales, which started in March. The book sale sign on the corner of Van Buren and Scott has brought visitors to the library who might not have stopped in otherwise. We will soon begin training a new volunteer due to a book sale visit.

Scanning was recently completed on a collection of photos of the Devoe family. Marcia Frisbee DeVoe, born in Pacific Grove, and raised in Monterey, was a beloved teacher in Carmel for many years. Pictures include her parents, Roy and Viola Smith Frisbee, who built a house at 314 Watson St. in Monterey, which still stands today. The collection also includes her Aunt Isabel Dauchy Robinson, sister of Viola Frisbee, who moved to Monterey from San Diego, where she continued her career as a painter. Photos of Marcia's grandparents, Arthur and Henrietta Dauchy and Eva Alice Riecks, are included as well. These photos will be available to the public once they are placed on the library’s website.

The library is open on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1:30-3:45 pm.