Elizabeth Williams Champney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Williams Champney
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"Woman of the Century"
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| Born | Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Johnson Williams February 6, 1850 Springfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1922 (aged 72) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | author |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Vassar College |
| Period | 1876–1921 |
| Genre | novels, travel writing, juvenile literature |
| Spouse |
James Wells Champney
(m. 1873; died 1903) |
| Children | 2 |
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Elizabeth "Lizzie" Williams Champney (February 6, 1850 – October 13, 1922) was an American writer. She wrote many novels, travel books, and stories for young people. Her books often featured exciting places around the world.
Elizabeth traveled a lot in Europe. She wrote about her experiences for popular magazines like Harper's Magazine and The Century Magazine. She wrote more than eighty articles for them. These included a series about Portugal and stories about famous artists.
After returning to the United States, Elizabeth wrote fifteen books. These included novels, children's stories, and historical tales. Her early novels, like the Witch Winnie series and Vassar Girls Abroad series, were popular with young girls. Later, she wrote romantic stories about castles, such as The Romance of the Feudal Chäteaux.
Her husband, James Wells Champney, was a talented artist. They lived in Deerfield, Massachusetts, in the summer and New York City in the winter.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Elizabeth Johnson Williams was born in Springfield, Ohio, on February 6, 1850. Her father was Judge S. B. Williams. Her parents were abolitionists, meaning they were against slavery. They moved their family to Kansas Territory when Elizabeth was young. They wanted to help stop slavery from spreading to Kansas. This time was known as "Bleeding Kansas" because of the violence there.
After the American Civil War, Elizabeth attended a school for young ladies. It was in Lexington, Massachusetts. There, she met James Wells Champney, who was her drawing teacher. She later went to Vassar College, a well-known women's college. She earned her degree in 1869, as part of Vassar's second graduating class.
Even when she was a student at Vassar, Elizabeth knew she wanted to be a writer. She wrote her first stories while at college. She secretly sent them to magazines, but they were sent back. She didn't give up on her dream.
Writing Career and Travels
Starting Out in Kansas and New York
After college, Elizabeth went back to Kansas. She worked at Kansas State Agricultural College in Manhattan, Kansas. She was the college secretary and the first drawing instructor there.
In May 1873, she married James Wells Champney. He was traveling through Kansas to illustrate an article for Scribner’s Monthly. Six months after they married, Elizabeth's first poem was published.
For three years, the Champneys traveled through the southern United States and Europe. In 1876, they settled in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Elizabeth began writing travel stories for Harper's Magazine. Her short stories were quickly accepted. She wrote over 86 articles, poems, and short romances for major magazines.
In 1879, they also bought a home in New York City. James opened a popular art studio there.
Adventures Abroad and New Stories
In 1880, Elizabeth and James got a contract to illustrate articles for The Century Magazine. They traveled to North Africa, Spain, and Portugal. They visited places like Tangier and Tétouan in Morocco. These places had not been shown in illustrated magazines before. They even lived with gypsies for a while. In Spain, they learned about the art of Mariano Fortuny and Henri Regnault. They spent time following in the artists' footsteps.
Between 1880 and 1890, the Champneys made several trips to Europe. In 1890, Elizabeth opened a studio in Paris. These travels gave them ideas for their work. Elizabeth's first novel, Rosemary and Rue, came out in 1881. It was well-liked by critics.
Popular Book Series for Girls
In 1883, Elizabeth published the first book in her "Three Vassar Girls Abroad" series. These books were for young girls. The series eventually had eleven novels. The last one, Three Vassar Girls in the Holy Land, came out in 1892. These books were published by Estes & Lauriat in Boston.
Elizabeth also wrote other books during this time. Howling Wolf, and his Trick-Pony was written more for boys. She also wrote historical stories for young people. One was "Great-Grandmother Girls in New France." It was inspired by a Native American event in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
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Her "Witch Winnie" series started in 1889 with Witch Winnie: The Story of a "King's Daughter". The character "Witch Winnie" was not a real witch. She was a playful schoolgirl. The first book was dedicated to Elizabeth's own daughter, Marie. This series had nine books. The last one, Witch Winnie in Spain, was published in 1898.
Writing for Adults
From 1899, Elizabeth focused on books for adult readers. She wrote romantic, semi-fictional stories about foreign places. She started with The Romance of the Feudal Chäteaux. She wrote magazine articles about Portugal. With her husband, she traveled to Africa. These experiences were shared in The Century magazine.
She wrote nine books in this "Romance" series. The last one, The Romance of Russia, from Rurik to Bolshevik, was published in 1921. This was one year before she passed away. These books were published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. Besides her main series, Elizabeth also had several other books published.
Family Life
James Champney often illustrated his wife's books. They spent their winters in New York City. Their summers were spent at "Elmstead." This was an old house in Deerfield, Massachusetts, built by Elizabeth's grandfather.
Elizabeth and James had two children. Their son, Edouard Frère Champney, was born in France in 1874. Their daughter, Maria Mitchell Champney, was born in 1877. Edouard became an architect. Marie became an artist. She married John S. Humphreys. Sadly, Marie passed away in 1906 at age thirty. Marie's son, George H. Humphreys, born in 1903, became a famous surgeon.
James died in an elevator accident in New York City in 1903. After his death, Elizabeth moved to the West Coast. She lived near her son, Edouard, until she passed away in 1922. Her last "Romance" books were written with her son.
Writing Style
Elizabeth Champney was careful to be accurate in her historical stories. She wanted to make them fun without giving wrong information. She also had a good sense of humor. This can be seen in her poem "How Persimmon Took Cah ob de Baby."
Besides her magazine stories, she wrote fourteen books for young people. She enjoyed writing about art studios and artists' lives. She also liked writing about events and people from the past. She was good at writing in different dialects. These included African-American, Irish, German, and Native American ways of speaking.
