Dare Wright
Encyclopedia
Dare Wright was a Canadian American children's author, model
and photographer.
, Canada
, Wright spent most of her childhood in Cleveland, Ohio
. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, the portrait artist Edith Stevenson Wright, while her brother, Blaine, went to live with his father, Ivan Wright, a theater critic in New York City. The siblings did not meet again until Dare moved to New York City
in her twenties.
Wright's mother died in 1975 and her brother in 1985.
After that she withdrew into seclusion and alcoholism in her apartment just off Fifth Avenue. Wright died on January 25, 2001 at the age of 86 in Manhattan
. She had been admitted to Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Roosevelt Island in May 1995 after suffering respiratory failure and being placed on a ventilator.
s bought at FAO Schwarz, for her first children's book, titled The Lonely Doll
. The book made The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. In November 2010, The British Newspaper The Guardian
named The Lonely Doll one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of all time. It was followed by eighteen other stories. Out of print for many years, it was reissued in 1998, introducing Wright to a new generation of readers. Make Me Real, which features another of Wright's childhood dolls, and Ocracoke in The Fifties, her only book written for adults, have been published posthumously.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and photographer.
Biography
Born in Thornhill, OntarioThornhill, Ontario
Thornhill is a community in the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the city of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities along Yonge Street, the city of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Wright spent most of her childhood in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, the portrait artist Edith Stevenson Wright, while her brother, Blaine, went to live with his father, Ivan Wright, a theater critic in New York City. The siblings did not meet again until Dare moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in her twenties.
Wright's mother died in 1975 and her brother in 1985.
After that she withdrew into seclusion and alcoholism in her apartment just off Fifth Avenue. Wright died on January 25, 2001 at the age of 86 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. She had been admitted to Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Roosevelt Island in May 1995 after suffering respiratory failure and being placed on a ventilator.
Books
In 1957, she photographed her childhood Lenci doll, Edith, along with two teddy bearTeddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s bought at FAO Schwarz, for her first children's book, titled The Lonely Doll
The Lonely Doll
The Lonely Doll™ is the first children's book in a series by photographer and author Dare Wright. The story is told through text and photographs. It was first published in 1957, went out of print for years, and was reissued by Houghton Mifflin in 1998. Wright wrote 10 books starring Edith and the...
. The book made The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. In November 2010, The British Newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
named The Lonely Doll one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of all time. It was followed by eighteen other stories. Out of print for many years, it was reissued in 1998, introducing Wright to a new generation of readers. Make Me Real, which features another of Wright's childhood dolls, and Ocracoke in The Fifties, her only book written for adults, have been published posthumously.
Photographs
Dare Wright's photographs were first exhibited in 2011 by Fred Torres Collaborations.Books still in print
- The Lonely DollThe Lonely DollThe Lonely Doll™ is the first children's book in a series by photographer and author Dare Wright. The story is told through text and photographs. It was first published in 1957, went out of print for years, and was reissued by Houghton Mifflin in 1998. Wright wrote 10 books starring Edith and the...
. Doubleday, (1957) - Edith and Mr. Bear. Random House, (1964)
- A Gift from the Lonely Doll. Random House, (1966)
Newly Published
- Make Me Real. Xlibris. (2007)
- Ocracoke In the Fifties. John F. Blair, (2006)