Lovely Indeed Her Works of Art

My mother, Etta Bower Davis (1910-1964) was the eldest daughter of Stanton M. Bower and Etta Strubbe of Bronx, NY. She was born at midnight October 26/27, 1910 but always celebrated her birthday on the 27th so Happy Birthday, Mom!

By 1920 the Bower family had moved to Leonia, NJ, and when Etta graduated high school in 1929 her artwork graced the pages of the Leonia High School yearbook, Leonia Lore. 

There is no doubt Etta inherited her artistic talent from her father who, at one time, was a commercial artist in the 1920s.  

Her yearbook photo, 2nd on the right.

Etta Bower

"Teddy"

"Lovely indeed her works of art

But nature made her lovelier." 

Student Council, 3; Year Book Staff; Leon-

ian Reporter, 1; Glee Club, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Art School

 

"The good old ship of '29' with all of its valiant crew,  

Sailed forth upon a four year voyage searching for knowledge new." 

This pen-and-ink line drawing is on the first page of the yearbook. Her signature, Etta Bower, is in the lower right.   

 Second page-- a scroll and sailing ship.

The faculty page. One of my mother's teachers was actually my homeroom teacher who had a reputation of snapping bra straps and pinching girls in the hallways <g> He'd never get away with that nowadays!

My dad had graduated two years prior in 1927 but his brother, my uncle Al Davis, was still an underclassman when my mother was a senior so his class photo is in this section. 

Organizations--or Clubs--included The Student Council, The Leonian, The Commercial  Club, Debating Society, Der Deutsche Verein, Latin Club, Le Cercle Francais, Math Club, The Naturalist Club, The Spanish Club, ULULATORS (rah! rah!), The Girls Glee Club, The Orchestra, The Library Staff, Fire Squad, and . . .

 . . . the Leonia Lore Staff. My mother was one of two Art Editors. (3rd from left front row)

I just love this drawing. Note the bird and bird cage in the boat. 

Baby pics were featured in the "Hidden Treasure" section where she was #1 top center.

I've often wondered what amazing work my mother would have produced had she attended Art School after graduation. For as long as I can remember she was always making something with her hands including hooked rugs, embroidered flower pictures, and of course, wonderful quilts and appliqued pictures that we will treasure forever. 

My Mother's Appliqued Pictures 

Quilts My Mother Made

__________
Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer