Laura Adams Armer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laura Adams Armer
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Armer at the California School of Design
c. 1895 |
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| Born | Laura May Adams January 12, 1874 Sacramento, California |
| Died | March 16, 1963 (aged 89) |
| Occupation | American writer, novelist and photographer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | California School of Design in San Francisco |
| Notable awards | Newbery Medal for Waterless Mountain, Caldecott Honor for The Forest Pool, 1939. |
| Spouse | Sidney Armer |
Laura Adams Armer (born January 12, 1874 – died March 16, 1963) was a talented American artist, writer, and photographer. She is best known for her book Waterless Mountain, which won the important Newbery Medal in 1932. Laura Adams Armer was also one of the first photographers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Contents
Laura Adams Armer's Life Story
Laura May Adams was born in Sacramento, California. Her family moved to San Francisco before 1880. Her father was a carpenter, and her mother was a dressmaker.
Becoming an Artist and Photographer
In 1893, Laura began studying art at the California School of Design. She left in 1899 to open her own photography studio. She quickly became a very successful portrait photographer. This means she took pictures of people.
Her work was shown in many art shows and exhibitions. She even won a second prize at the Photographic Salons of San Francisco in 1901. In 1902, she sold her studio and traveled to the Southwest with her fiancé, Sidney Armer.
Family Life and New Adventures
Laura and Sidney got married in July 1902. In 1903, they moved to Berkeley, California, where their son, Austin, was born. Laura continued to show her art and photographs. She even displayed her bookplate designs, which were called "exquisite" by another artist, Anne Brigman.
After a trip to Tahiti in 1905, Laura went through a sad time. She took a short break from her work. By late 1906, she returned to her art and became an active member of the Berkeley art community. She won a silver medal at the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle in 1909. Around this time, she also started trying out color photography in her popular studio.
Documenting Native American Cultures
A big change in Laura's career happened between 1919 and 1920. She began to carefully study and record the lives of the Hopi and Navajo people in the American Southwest. This led to many books and articles about their societies, art, and stories. She took hundreds of photographs and even made a film called The Mountain Chant in 1928. Her work helped share the rich culture of these Native American groups with the world.
Art Exhibitions
Laura Adams Armer's photographs have been shown in many places.
Her photos of San Francisco's Chinatown from around 1900 are kept at the California Historical Society. Her pictures of the American Southwest are at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. You can also find her work at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Books by Laura Adams Armer
