Hand Made, Artistic Community Life in the Old World

There is a photo of my great-grandmother, Anna Nowak Novatne Horn, holding my grandfather, Alfred Sigmund Horn, in his dress-up outfit. At that time, boys were kept in dresses until they were several years old. The year was 1903.
The dress is of thin fabric covered with embroidery.

Three years later, at the age of four, the young man proudly showed off his new rifle! People grew up fast in the mountains of Colorado.

The dress that Anna is wearing is made of several types of lace combined, and she is wearing an apron made of thin fabric with tucks and lace at the bottom. She had made the whole outfit herself, having learned fine needlework skills at a young age. Her high collar, typical of the attire worn by a young mother in those times, would have been a job in itself to keep tidy and starched. It was all in a day's work for the wife of a country doctor.

She had married my great-grandfather, Alfred Daniel Horn, in New York before they headed west to Colorado in the 1890s. He had sung his way through medical school by performing as a soloist at Trinity Cathedral.

The Novatne and Nowak families emigrated from Prague in Bohemia during the 1860s. They were masters of wood carving, and textile arts, as well as other types of hand creations that were of high refinement and very much in demand for the homes of the wealthy. The Novatnes were costume makers for the Vaudeville show business tradition in New York, as well as being active in the intellectual life of the region. Anna spoke six languages.

The family traditions of art and wood carving held for many generations, and clans of artists lived together sharing their resources. These types of community interactions formed the core of artistic life for generations in old Bohemia. Those who had skills passed them along to the younger members of the clan. People shared what they could gather in gratitude and joy.

There would be a large gathering each day at meals to share whatever had come to the family. This tradition of sharing made sure that everyone had what was needed in life. In this way, clans of artists made their way for centuries in whatever types of circumstances came along. The table would be decorated splendidly with hand made linens and all types of ornaments, to assure everyone had a place among whatever wealth had been accumulated.

"There is a strength of quiet endurance as significant of courage as the most daring feats of prowess."... Henry Tuckerman

Anna's hardanger work on table linens, and silk embroidery, are still very beautiful to this day.

The tradition of community life and high quality continues here in Big Sur. The commitment to artistic community life is at the core of my business. Creative people and groups can have a place to grow their gifts here at my retreat camp. Please visit my web site, http://www.bettyofbigsur.com, for more information about my work, and about ways to explore Big Sur's fabulous back country. A gallery of some of my work may be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur.

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