Hovey, Henrietta (06 April 1849–16 March 1918), Delsartean teacher, was born Henriette Knapp in Cooperstown, New York, the daughter of Edgar Knapp and Catharine Tyler. Hovey’s lifelong interest in clothing reform is traced to an early experience when a doctor, to combat her frailty and ill-health, prescribed loose-fitting garb that would allow easy breathing and free motion. By her early twenties, Hovey was designing her own unique uncorseted costumes—subtly colored flowing gowns that became her hallmark—and lecturing on the aesthetic and health aspects of dress. To improve her speech for such presentations, she entered the Boston School of Oratory in the early 1870s where she was introduced to the system of expression developed by François Delsarte (1811–1871), a French theorist and teacher of acting, voice, and aesthetics. Delsarte’s theory was an elaborate derivation of his personal interpretation of the Christian Trinity and featured particular attention to the relationship between body, mind, and spirit in the practical work of expression in any of the arts. Hovey’s interests expanded to include physical culture and expression, and she traveled to Paris where she met Delsarte’s widow and studied with his son Gustave before the latter’s death in February 1879. In the late 1860s or 1870s she married Edward B. Crane; their son was born on 21 April, probably in 1878—possibly in 1867....
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Hovey, Henrietta (1849-1918), Delsartean teacher
Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter
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Stebbins, Genevieve (07 March 1857–1914?), American Delsartean teacher and writer
Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter
Stebbins, Genevieve (07 March 1857–1914?), American Delsartean teacher and writer, was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of James Cole Stebbins, a lawyer, and Henrietta Smith, who died when Genevieve was two years old. Stebbins was drawn to theatrical expression from an early age and performed pantomimes, songs, dances, and statue posing at family and public gatherings. In 1875 she moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater, first studying and touring with the actress ...
