Anna Ben-Yusuf
Encyclopedia
Madame Anna Ben-Yusuf was a German
-born milliner and teacher based in Boston
and New York
. She wrote The Art of Millinery (1909), one of the first reference books on millinery technique. She was the mother of the portrait photographer Zaida Ben-Yusuf
.
, where she supported her family by working as a governess
. Her ex-husband remained in London, occasionally giving lectures on Arab culture for the Moslem Mission Society. In 1891, he and his second wife Henrietta Crane, had a daughter, also called Zaida (1891-?) and a son, Mussa, who died in infancy in 1893.
, where by 1891, she had established a milliner's shop on Washington Street in Boston
. Her eldest daughter Zaida also emigrated to the USA in 1895, setting up a milliner's at 251 Fifth Avenue, New York
before becoming a successful portrait photographer. Zaida published occasional articles on millinery for Harpers Bazaar and the Ladies Home Journal.
From September 1905 to June 1907, Anna Ben-Yusuf was an instructor in millinery at the Pratt Institute
in Brooklyn, New York. She resigned in 1907 to set up a school of her own on West 23rd Street.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
-born milliner and teacher based in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She wrote The Art of Millinery (1909), one of the first reference books on millinery technique. She was the mother of the portrait photographer Zaida Ben-Yusuf
Zaida Ben-Yusuf
Zaida Ben-Yusuf was a New York-based portrait photographer noted for her artistic portraits of wealthy, fashionable, and famous Americans of the turn of the 19th-20th century. She was born in London to a German mother and an Algerian father, but became a naturalised American citizen later in life...
.
Early life and marriage
Born Anna Kind in Berlin in around 1845, she married an Algerian man, Mustapha Moussa Ben Youseph Nathan, who lived in Hammersmith, London. They had four daughters - Esther Zeghdda Ben Youseph Nathan, better known as Zaida (1869-1933), Heidi (c.1873-?), Leila (c.1877-?) and Pearl (c.1878-?), before the marriage fell apart. Anna and her daughters moved to RamsgateRamsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, where she supported her family by working as a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
. Her ex-husband remained in London, occasionally giving lectures on Arab culture for the Moslem Mission Society. In 1891, he and his second wife Henrietta Crane, had a daughter, also called Zaida (1891-?) and a son, Mussa, who died in infancy in 1893.
Millinery
During the late 1880s, Anna Ben-Yusuf emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where by 1891, she had established a milliner's shop on Washington Street in Boston
Washington Street (Boston)
Washington Street is a street originating in downtown Boston, Massachusetts that extends southwestward to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island state line. The majority of it was built as the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike in the early nineteenth century...
. Her eldest daughter Zaida also emigrated to the USA in 1895, setting up a milliner's at 251 Fifth Avenue, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
before becoming a successful portrait photographer. Zaida published occasional articles on millinery for Harpers Bazaar and the Ladies Home Journal.
From September 1905 to June 1907, Anna Ben-Yusuf was an instructor in millinery at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Brooklyn, New York. She resigned in 1907 to set up a school of her own on West 23rd Street.