Alice A. Casneau
Alice A. Casneau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 1866 Virginia |
| Died | March 24, 1953 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Dressmaker, Activist, Author |
| Known for | Clubwomanand leader |
| Spouse | Elmer E. Casneau |
| Children | Pearl E. Casneau |
Alice A. Tolliver Casneau(died 1953), known professionally asMrs. A. A. Casneau,was an American dressmaker andclubwomanbased in theBoston, Massachusettsarea.
Career[edit]
Casneau was a dressmaker in the Boston area with a recorded land purchase inEverett, Massachusetts.[1]She was also active in theNational Association of Colored Women's Clubswhen it held its first national conference in Boston in 1895.[2]
In the same year as the Boston conference she gave a paper on "Morals and Manners" at the meeting of theWoman's Era Club.[3]As a successful businessperson, she gave a presentation on "Dressmaking" at the first meeting of theNational Negro Business League,held in Boston in 1900. "If there is no market for your wares in the community in which you live," she told the audience, "find a place that needs you, that needs just the talent that God has given you, and when you have found it,fill it."[4]She was an associate member of the Massachusetts Branch of theNiagara Movementin 1907.[5]
Casneau's "Guide for Artistic Dress Cutting and Making" (1895) was a "remarkable"[6]73-page booklet.[7]It was one of the ten titles by black women authors available in the reception room of the National Conference of Colored Women in 1895. Her work was also featured on the literature table at theNew England Hospital for Women and Children.[8]
DuringWorld War I,she served on the executive committee of the Soldiers' Comfort Unit in Boston, a women's group that provided supports for black soldiers stationed in or near Boston.[9] In 1925, she was elected president of theLeague of Women for Community Service.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Alice Tolliver married Elmer E. Casneau, a barber, in 1887.[11]They had a daughter, Pearl E. Casneau, born in 1892.[12]Alice A. Casneau died in 1953 in Massachusetts.[13]
References[edit]
- ^Public Documents of Massachusetts 1899, Volume 1Boston, Massachusetts:Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1900) page 709.
- ^LaVonne Leslie,The History of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, Inc.(2012).ISBN9781479722655
- ^"Notes and Comments"The Woman's Era(April 1895): 1.
- ^Mrs. A. A. Casneau,"Dressmaking"Proceedings of the National Negro Business League(J. R. Hamm 1901): 78-83; image 78, quote 79-80.
- ^Third Annual Conference of the Niagara Movement(Boston 1907).
- ^Michelle A. Wilson, "Lois Alexander: In search of Black Fashion Designers--old and new"Tri-State Defender(March 10, 1979): 1. viaProQuest
- ^Teresa Wiltz,""They Got No Fame or Glory, But They Left Their Mark "Chicago Tribune(February 23, 1995).
- ^Elizabeth McHenry,Forgotten Readers: Recovering the Lost History of African American Literary Societies(Duke University Press 2002): 231, 242.ISBN9780822329954
- ^Emmett J. Scott,Scott's official history of the American Negro in the world war(Homewood Press 1919): 389-390.
- ^William C. Magruder, "Boston News: Organizations"Chicago Defender(March 21, 1925): A8. viaProQuest
- ^Marriages Registered in the City of Boston for the Year 1887.
- ^"Famous Hub Waiter Dead"New York Age(April 14, 1910): 3. viaNewspapers.com
- ^Index to Deaths in Massachusetts, 1951-1955.
External links[edit]
- Casneau's Guide for Artistic Dress Cutting and Making(Brooks Bank Note Company Press 1895).