In which I jump into the deep end of Asian American history
It’s been almost two weeks since I announced my intention to read my way through Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.* So far it has been a frustrating and fascinating experience.
Unlike Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the places I hang out on the internet have not been full of fascinating stories about forgotten people and incidents. (Though there have been several interesting pieces about the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of South East Asian refugees into the United States at the end of the Vietnam War* and a number of heart-breaking reminders of the Japanese internment camps in WWII.) The Chicago Public Library’s list of ways to celebrate is largely focused on novels and movies, which do not really serve my purpose. (Also demonstrations of hula dancing and Korean music. Very tempting.) The Goodreads list of Asian American non-fiction is heavy on celebrity and restaurant memoirs—also not what I had in mind.**
In the absence of any clear path, in mid-April I went to the bookstore around the corner, Call and Response Books,which specializes in books by and about people of color, and threw myself on the bookseller’s mercy. I walked out with Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy. It turned out to be a very good place to start.
Choy, a professor of ethnic studies who has studied, taught, and written about Asian American history for more than two decades, began the book in 2021 at the height of Covid in response to the anti-Asian violence and hatred that was part of that experience. Her primary argument is that the themes that fueled that violence, as well as the violence itself, have been part of American history for 150 years. Nonetheless, the book is not simply a catalog of hate crimes and historical erasure.
As the title makes clear, Asian American Histories of the United States is a series of histories of different Asian groups who arrived in the United States at different times under different circumstances. Choy looks at the ways in which their experiences differ, and the ways in which they are the same. Some of the stories are familiar, such as the arrival of some 20,000 Chinese men to work on the transcontinental railroad.**** Other stories were totally new to me: for example, the important role played by Filipino workers in creation of the United Farm Workers and the development of a Punjabi Mexican-American community in Texas at the beginning of the twentieth century.*****
Choy structures the book in reverse chronological order, from 2020 to 1869. The structure is surprisingly effective, underlining that Asians arrived in the United States earlier than most of us knew. Each chapter looks at a particular historical moment and specific Asian population, then expands the themes across time and ethnic group. She shows both how the chapter’s issue had earlier roots and how that issue plays out in the modern world. A freestanding, and fascinating, chapter at the midpoint titled “The Faces Behind the Food” looks at the impact of Asian Americans on food in the United States in often surprising ways. (For example, a Chinese worker named Ah Bing, who arrived in the United States in 1855, worked on an Oregon fruit farm and is credited as the cultivator and namesake of the Bing cherry. I was stunned.)
If I read nothing else for Asian History month, Asian American Histories of the United States would accomplish my basic goal of learning more. But don’t worry, I intend to read on. We’re not done yet.
*That fifty years sure went by quickly!
** Thanks to those of you who made suggestions.
*** I realize that we are only a week into May and I may not be hanging out in the right places.
****Not so familiar: the fact that Chinese railroad workers were not included in the iconic photograph of the ceremony that marked the completion of the railroad despite their critical role in its construction. (According to Leland Stanford, president of the Central Pacific Railroad, ninety percent of the workers on the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad were Chinese. In fact, the National Park Service account states that “On the morning of May 10th, 1869, eight Chinese men moved the final rail into position.”—An act that was symbolically important.) Historical erasure in real time.
*****According to historian Karen Leonard, there are people in the region today who think Singh is a Hispanic surname. Which I find both very funny and slightly sad.
The Belgian Girls: A Q & A with Kathryn Atwood
It was inevitable that Kathryn Atwood and I would find each other because our interests overlap. She has written multiple books of historical non-fiction for young adults on women and war. In her newest book, The Belgian Girls, she shifts to fiction, using her deep knowledge to create a vivid picture of life in occupied Brussels in the two world wars. She intertwines stories of two young women, a generation apart, who play similar roles in resisting the Germans to create a work that is thrilling, bittersweet and heart rending.
I am delighted to have Kathryn back on the Margins to talk about The Belgian Girls
Photo credit: Helen Van Essendelft
You have written several collective biographies on women and war, including Women Heroes of World War I and Women Heroes of World War II. What inspired you to make the leap from non-fiction to fiction?
Kate Quinn. She utilized my World War I book a bit while writing The Alice Network and sent me a signed copy as a thank-you. I had not read historical fiction since my 20-something Leon Uris phase, but I was completely enthralled with Kate’s portrayal of Louise de Bettignies. It made me wonder if I could similarly illuminate the life of another First World War spy, Gabrielle Petit, my favorite subject in Women Heroes of World War I. I hope I have succeeded!
Is your research process different for fiction than for non-fiction? What types of sources do you rely on to create rich fictional characters from obscure, or poorly documented historical figures?
I wrote the Gabrielle Petit chapters first, using the 2015 biography by Dr. Sophie de Schaepdrijver as a reference. But much of the basic setting for each timeline was already clear in my mind because of my familiarity with both German occupations of Belgium.
What was slightly different was the necessity of using maps: I wanted to move my characters around realistically, hoping I could avoid what I often see in Chicago-set films: a northbound character driving south on Lake Shore Drive, etc.
What was completely different about writing The Belgian Girls was the freedom to create new characters and to imagine what a historical figure might have said or done, the freedom to fill in the blanks with plausible scenarios, thoughts, and conversations.
Are the two young women at the heart of The Belgian Girls based on real life characters?
Gabrielle Petit was a real woman who spied on the Germans for British Intelligence during the First World War. Second World War-era Julienne is fictional.
How do you walk the line between historical fact and fiction in a novel?
I tried to provide each scene and character with a solid historical foundation but once inside the room (or the character’s head), I was free to let my imagination flow. It was great fun attempting to access what very well might have happened, what might have been said within a specific historical framework.
What is most challenging or exciting about researching women in the first half of the 20th century?
Their capabilities were largely underestimated by their male peers. It’s not easy to fulfill your potential when the men in your life don’t believe in you, so the non-domestic accomplishments of women during the two world wars is inspiring and really quite astonishing. Their governments obviously found it so, which is why a plethora of nations gave female citizens the right to vote immediately following the First World War.
What was the most surprising thing you learned working on this book?
I’d received compliments on the quality of my nonfiction, but I didn’t realize how natural fiction writing would feel. I didn’t do this on my own though; I greatly benefited from some excellent editorial suggestions. Every novelist needs beta readers and a good developmental editor!
Before Kathryn wrote six award-winning young adult books on women and war for the Chicago Review Press, her poetry and book reviews appeared in a wide variety of print and electronic journals, including Afterimage: A Journal of Arts and Cultural Criticism, PopMatters, and War, Literature, and the Arts. Her admiration for the European resisters of both world wars inspired her to write her first novel, The Belgian Girls.
Interested in learning more about Kathryn and her work? Check out her website at: https://kathrynjatwood.com/
The Miniature Painter Revealed: A Q & A with Kathleen Lagone
The Miniature Painter Revealed: Amalia Kussner’s Gilded Age Pursuit of Fame and Fortune by Kathleen Lagone is another story of a woman who was famous in her own time and subsequently forgotten.
No other female portrait artist had the notoriety or esteemed clientele that Amalia Kussner enjoyed. From the mid-1890s to 1910, having a Kussner miniature was much of a status symbol as owning fine jewelry or a mansion in Newport.
Although photography was on the rise during the late 1800s, miniatures had a feeling and soul to them that photos could not capture. Amalia’s portraits provided a grandeur that presented Gilded Age elites as American royalty. Her subjects included reigning social queen Mrs. Caroline Astor, Mrs. John Jacob Astor, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Mamie Fish, “dollar heiress” Minnie Paget, Edward VII of England, Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia, and diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes.
I am pleased to have Kathleen here on the Margins to talk about Kussner and writing the book.
What path led you to the story of Amalia Kussner?
I am distantly related to her and grew up seeing three of her miniatures in my grandmother’s glass cabinet and had only heard that she had painted the Prince of Wales (who was soon to be Edward VII). I had free time during 2020 and started to research her and found she had painted the shining stars of the Gilded Age – and led a bold and unconventional life.
Kussner was a famous artist during her lifetime but is largely forgotten today. Why do you think stories like hers disappear from history?
There’s no denying that often women artists don’t get the historical legacies that their male counterparts do. But I think her getting lost in history was also that she was never a part of miniature artist societies. These sprang up around 1900, as there started to be numerous artists doing miniatures. Those societies provided awards and publicity and a certain level of respect that was missing for Kussner. I don’t think she saw the need to be in these societies, since she was getting fame and business without them. Furthermore, in the later part of her career in the 1900’s, she spent much of her time in Europe so she received less acknowledgements in America. What is still fascinating to me is that newspapers and magazines – covered her artwork and amazing life more than any of her contemporaries. Unfortunately, very few museums have her work now.
Why miniatures rather than full-length portraits? How did Kussner’s work fit into the larger art world of her time?
The miniature portrait – many of them less in size then four inches wide – are really a more intimate type of portraiture. They sometimes were used as jewelry – such as a the portrait of a loved one worn around the neck. And the size made them simply made them more portable. As I detail in my book – one of Kussner’s miniatures was that of a young man’s girlfriend – taken by him to the Alaskan Gold Rush. Along with his equipment and supplies, this small and precious portrait traveled with him across the country. Kussner was really the leading miniature artist in the 1890’s in America – then very popular in the 1900’s in England. Having a Kussner miniature became a status symbol – and these leading figures of the Gilded Age, Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt used Kussner’s services. In England, for a brief while, she was viewed “on par” with John Singer Sargent.
The Gilded Age has caught the popular imagination over the last few years. Kussner’s story is very much part of that world. Why do you think people are drawn to that period today?
There will always be a fascination with glamorous and opulent lifestyles. And the extravagant balls held in the 1880’s and 1890’s were almost beyond imagination. But what was also interesting was the power that the wives of these industrial tycoons had – in using their wealth. These lavish events were both to advance their husband’s careers and their own standing on the Gilded Age society. But in parallel – you had the “dollar heiresses” – who were sometimes forced into marriages with titled men of England, who were in need of money from these wealthy American families. The marriages would then bring British royalty into their family, further elevating their position in the Gilded Age. The most famous marriage was that of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who was forced to marry the Duke of Marlborough, by her mother Alva Vanderbilt. Kussner painted her shortly after Consuelo’s arrival to England, at Blenheim Palace.
What was most challenging or exciting about researching women in this period of history?
I knew of the “rise” of the Suffragists during this time but what I didn’t realize was that there were the books written about women’s careers in a wide variety of fields as early as the 1900s. One book in particular was: The Part Taken by Women in American History by Mrs. John A. Logan. There was a whole chapter titled: Women in Professions and of course Amalia was listed in the section on artists. Other professions listed were composers, playwrights, religious leaders, etc.
What was the most surprising thing you learned working on this book?
The more I researched her professional life, I was very surprised to learn of her popularity in Europe and the fact that she painted not just British royalty and titled women but royal families from Spain and Germany.
What work of women’s history (fictional or non-fiction) have you read lately that you loved? Or for that matter, what work of women’s history have you loved in any format?
In learning more about British Royalty, especially while Amalia was in England, I read: The Quest for Queen Mary, edited by Hugo Vickers. This queen was the wife of George V and grandmother to Elizabeth II. She was fascinating to me – how she navigated her royal life – somewhat marching to her own standard. Her sister-in-law was Princess Maud of Wales, to become the Queen of Norway in the 1900’s. In learning of their friendship, I learned more about Maud, who Amalia painted twice, in England and Norway. I will add that Queen Mary’s later life was nicely portrayed in the series, The Crown.
How do you view Amalia Kussner’s character, and do you think you understand who she was as a person?
After intensive research over five years, I still can’t pin down who she was as a person. I know she was very dedicated to her family but her relationship with Charles du Pont Coudert remains a mystery. Though at times she seemed like a ruthless social climber, I do think she genuinely cared about some that she painted, such as with Czarina Alexandra. I keep researching and hope to find more personal writings that can help decipher her character.
Kathleen Langone is a freelance writer and historical researcher whose work has been published in regional New England publications such as Boston magazine and various newspapers. She is also the host of People Hidden in History, a podcast series that highlights fascinating people in the arts and politics who are unknown to the general public, spanning three-hundred years of history. She has been a speaker at museums, historical societies, libraries, the New York Adventure Club, and History Camp, and she frequently presents on Amalia Kussner. She lives in Middleton, Massachusetts with her husband.
Interested in learning more about Kathleen and her work?
Visit her website at https://www.kathleenlangone.com/
Follow her on Instagram at @phihpod and on Bluesky
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Heads up! Kathleen has started a book give-away through May 25th, for two copies of The Miniature Painter Revealed. Check out her recent posts at her Instagram site (@phihpod) for instructions on how to enter.