With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Ruth Vassos
Fiction
1896 – 1965
Vassos is considered to be the first American female science-fiction author, exploring themes of alienation and mechanization.
- Biography/Description of Work
Ruth (Carrier) Vassos was born in New York State and became a fashion writer in New York City during the 1920s for Saks Fifth Avenue. She met John Vassos at a party in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City and in 1924 they were married. The couple moved to Norwalk in 1935. During the 1930s, Ruth wrote and published a series of short science-fiction novels, for which John drew the illustrations.
- Sources view
- Brophy, Kirsten; The Wright-Vassos House c. 1925, The Norwalk Historical Society Plaque Program, March 27, 2010. Connecticut State Library online accessed 6/25/2014: iconn.org or http://www.cslib.org/iconnsitemap/staff/SiteIndex.aspx#directories Carley, Rachel. Creative Places: Modern Arts and Letters in Connecticut. Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation & State Historic Preservation Office, 2014. Levey, Lee; John Vassos and the Cartoonists of Silvermine, 2009. Can be accessed at http://www.nashct.com/history/silvermines-history/john-vassos-and-the-cartoonists-of-silvermine McAlester, Virginia and Lee; A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 2003. The New York Times (1851-2010) accessed through ProQuest Historical Newspapers on 6/25/2014 John Vassos – December 10, 1985 Ruth C. Vassos, Fashion Writer, 70 – February 21, 1965 U.S. Federal Census, accessed at http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/census/search/basic
- Associated Resource(s)