Southern Blend – Adele Clark
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Southern Blend
John Rittmann
Adele Clark
Adele Goodman Clark, who lived from September 1882 to June 1983, was an important figure in the American suffragist movement. She was born in Montgomery, Ala. Her father was a railroad worker, and her mother was a music teacher.
The first nine years of her life were somewhat hectic, as during that time her family had lived in Louisiana and Mississippi before eventually settling in to Richmond, Virginia. At the age of 19, Ms. Clark worked as a stenographer in order to be able to afford art classes taught at the local art club of Richmond. The classes clearly paid off, because she was able to attend the New York School of Art on a full scholarship.
Adele Clark would go on to use her artistic skills to advance women’s rights across the country. Following her graduation from the New York School of Art, she became involved in the local suffrage organization, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, in 1909 and 1910.
She and her partner, Ms. Nora Houston, would set up easels on public street corners in downtown Richmond and create chalk sketches for people. While the portrait was made, they would speak with their subjects about the need for equal voting rights for women.
Following this, they founded the Virginia Academy of Fine Arts and Handicrafts. Shortly prior to the 1920 elections, they held a discussion with local women of color to find ways to support the right for women of color to vote, which led to polling location patrols in order to help maintain the women’s safety.
Ms. Clark advanced to become the president of the Virginia League of Women Voters and later served in the leadership of the National League of Women Voters. She remained active in professional women’s activism groups until 1944, when she was 62. Throughout this time and even later she went on to serve in government and educational positions – dean of women at the College of William and Mary, director of the Virginia Arts Project in the Works Progress Administration and a field supervisor for the National Reemployment Service, to name a few.
She was a very, very busy woman. She also served the Catholic Church as the chair of the Richmond Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s Legislative committee from 1942 to 1959.
Ms. Clark was foremost an artist and was particularly skilled in the field of portraiture. Part of her skill at advocating for women’s rights was that her local recognition as an artist would draw large crowds to events held by the various committees and organizations she served. I believe Ms. Clark described it best by stating, “I’ve always tried to combine my interest in art with my interest in government.”
Ms. Clark’s life is best summed up in her historical monument near the entrance to the graveyard where she is buried. The text reads:
“Adèle Goodman Clark fought tirelessly to champion both women’s rights and the arts in Virginia. Clark gained prominence for pro-suffrage speeches and writings as a founding member in 1909 of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. She used her artwork to entice attendants to League events and took leadership roles in national suffrage organizations. In 1916, she and fellow Richmond artist Nora Houston established the Atelier, a training ground for a generation of Virginia artists. Clark promoted both causes throughout her life, epitomizing the vital role of women in 20th-century social reform movements. She is buried nearby at Emmanuel Episcopal Church cemetery.”
Ms. Clark’s sole known partner was Ms. Nora Houston. It is unclear when their relationship began, but they worked together closely as early as 1910. They bought a house together in 1928 and remained partners until Nora Houston’s death in 1942. Following Nora’s death, Adele lived with family for an unknown length of time – it appears to be at least until 1977, when her cousin Willoughby Ions passed. Adele Clark, who lived until 1983, is not known to have taken any other partners throughout her life.