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.
Gertrude Chandler Warner
Children's Literature
1890 – 1979
- Biography/Description of Work
Gertrude Chandler Warner grew up on South Main Street in Putnam observing the rail traffic and the new (now historic) railroad station. She taught the children of Putnam at the Israel Putnam School for 32 years starting in 1918, and walked to and from work. She wrote the first Boxcar Children book in 1924, to provide stimulating reading material for the students she taught. It was reissued in 1942, and from her retirement c.1949 through 1976 the author created a series, adding eighteen more titles. The series was so popular that other authors added to it in great numbers after her death. Warner wrote several other children’s books.
- Associated Resource(s)