View source for Mildred Blanchet



[[File:Mildred%20McMaster%20Blanchet.png|right|]]]] '''Born:''' July 27, 1885

'''Died:''' August 4, 1968

'''Married:''' Dr. [[Sidney%20Blanchet|Sidney Blanchet]]; [[John%20J.%20Connors|John J. Connors]]

'''Children:''' [[Gray%20Blanchet|Gray Blanchet]], Dr. [[David%20Blanchet|David Blanchet]], [[Jeremy%20Blanchet|Jeremy Blanchet]], PhD.

'''Mildred Joy McMaster Blanchet''' was an artist and craftswoman who met her husband, Dr. Sidney Blanchet when they were both tuberculous patients at the [[Trudeau%20Sanatorium|Trudeau Sanatorium]] (see [[cousining|cousining]]).

She was born in the lumbering town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the youngest child of Scotch Irish immigrant Hugh McMaster, and [[Phylena%20McMaster|Phylena Gray]], a Maine frontierswoman. When she was about 16 they moved to Washington, D.C. After her father suffered a stroke they moved to Dayton, Ohio and then Chicago, where she went to art school.

After her recovery from tuberculosis, the death of her father, and marriage to Dr. Blanchet she moved to [[27%20Church%20Street|27 Church Street]] (now 49 Church Street). In the first years much of her time was spent taking care of her invalid mother. She also worked both in the [[Workshop|Workshop]] and also at the [[Saranac%20Lake%20Study%20and%20Craft%20Guild|Craft Guild]]. She apparently created the harlequin girl logo for an early [[Winter%20Carnival|Winter Carnival]] sometime in about 1913. Another of her possible works is an artist's watercolor sketch in brilliant orange and blue, unsigned, of a lady bug, c. 1917. Mildred was a talented painter and she worked in a variety of mediums from watercolors, bas relief, pencil and oils to painting furniture.

After her husband Sidney’s death she went to work and live at the Trudeau Sanatorium with her youngest son [[Jeremy%20Blanchet|Jeremy]] as an [[occupational%20therapist|occupational therapist]] in the crafts program. She encouraged people to use their leisure to do things with their hands. She got men knitting. She made designs for hooked rugs and did crewel work or hand embroidery. She was one of the judges for a Craft Guild art contest in September 1941.<sup>1</sup>

Her art was often inspired by Saranac Lake: fawns, rhododendrons, pine trees and woodsy bouquets. She also loved art nouveau and oriental imagery.

Mrs. Blanchet also used to do poems and portraits of some of the doctors. Her granddaughter thinks she continued living in Saranac until about 1944 when she married [[John%20J.%20Connors|John J. Connors]]. She and John moved to Albany, New York, then to Coconut Grove, Florida, and retired at the Elizabeth Carleton House in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Her work at the retirement home was similar to what she had done at the Saranac Lake Study and Craft Guild - organizing craft activities.

 

'''"Repressions" -- a set of limericks about the doctors'''

''From an undated handwritten manuscript by Mildred McMaster Blanchet, provided by her granddaughter, Shelby Hines. Her understanding is that these limericks were done for a dinner party, and the poem for each doctor was accompanied by Millie’s artwork.  Shelby has only the finished art and limerick for Dr. Sidney Blanchet. The illustration is pictured below.''

'''Repressions'''

In these days of deep investigation,<br>In the psychologic field,<br>We’ve heard of much to bother us,<br>Our brains have fairly reeled. 

With talk of inhibitions<br>And repressions dark and deep.<br>To say nothing of complexes<br>That tie us hand and feet. 

These gentlemen named Jung and Freud<br>Have got us worried, quite<br>It’s up to us to check them up<br>If only out of spite. 

So, in this august company<br>Of scholars wise and learned<br>Let’s try them out to see,<br>If there’s experiments to be confirmed. 

If deep in our unconscious<br>There burn some smouldering<sup>1</sup> fires,<br>Some dreadful guilty longings,<br>Or ungratified desires, 

Now is the hour to search them out<br>And look them in the eyes<br>And so rob them forever<br>Of the power to make us writhe.  

We’ll turn our cardboard over<br>To find a brief suggestion<br>To help us in our search for Truth<br>And our particulars repression

When it we find, lets bring it forth<br>Most gallant o courageous<br>And trust our friends to keep it dark<br>No matter how outrageous! 

''''''[[http://localwiki.net/hsl/Charles_C._Trembley|Trembley ]]

Let “Cheerful Charlie” start us off!<br>We know him for a mixer<br>Good fellowship, sports, all things gay<br>A very nifty fixer.  

What’s underneath this exterior?<br>To guess we’re at a loss. <br>We wonder what you really long to be –<br>Now Charlie, come across! – 

''''''[[Hugh%20M.%20Kinghorn|Kinghorn]]

We call you “Cautious Hughie,”<br>And affectionately claim<br>You’d never do a reckless deed,<br>Nor give us cause for shame.

Now here’s your chance to show us up,<br>And for your stainless past atone,<br>By confessing to a mad desire to<br>Play the saxophone! 

''''''[[Francis%20Berger%20Trudeau|Trudeau ]]

A merry soul is Francis here,<br>With manner all robustious<br>A ready smile and friendly cheer<br>And laughter quite combustious

Is a repression lurking here?<br>We’ve got to have a showdown<br>It’s up to you to make things clear,<br>Come Francis, what’s the lowdown?

''''''[[Fred%20H.%20Heise|Heise]]

So grave and stern your manner,<br>Re-spec-ta-bil-i-tee<br>Is shown in all your mien,<br>But underneath we see

A glimpse of hardy buccaneer<br>Or pirate fierce, perchance.<br>Oh tell us of this knave in you<br>A-fighting for romance!

''''''[[Harry%20Bray|Bray]]

Oh Harry, Handsome Harry,<br>Why let an unkind fate<br>Make you a lonely bachelor,<br>Imprisoned by the state?

P’raps a wicked nurse told you in childhood<br>Of the moth’s encounter with the flame.<br>But never even hinted that<br>He liked it just the same!

''''''[[Edward%20R.%20Baldwin|Baldwin]]

Your head in books is buried –<br>Thoughts are most profound.<br>But we wonder what is happening<br>Down deep in buried ground.

Are you longing to play hookey,<br>And hunt or fish or browse,<br>Or would you rather just<br>Bust loose and then carouse? 

''''''[[Edward%20Packard|Packard]]

Your gentle personality,<br>With qualities so winning,<br>Would not be harmed a single bit,<br>By just a little sinning – 

If you’d have a fling at high finance,<br>And a bootlegging go,<br>It’s quite all right with us, dear Ned,<br>The world will never know! – 

''''''[[John%20A.%20Munroe|Munroe]]

With dignity you face the world,<br>And hold a bit aloof,<br>We’d like to burrow under here,<br>We yearn to know the truth:

A dashing cavalier we spy,<br>His rapier a-polishing<br>With lusty oath and fiery eye,<br>His enemy demolishing! 

''''''[[Lawrason%20Brown|Brown]]

At home, abroad, your knowledge<br>Has won us great renown,<br>But just this once Oh Lawrie,<br>Let your bars discreetly down!

We’d gladly hear a juicy bit,<br>And treasure longings ghoulish –<br>Please humor us a bit,<br>And dig up something foolish! 

''''''[[Leroy%20Upson%20Gardner|Gardner]]

Has work for sick humanity,<br>That fills your life with joy<br>Displaced the secret yearnings<br>You dreamed of as a boy?

Is a tight grip on that old pipe<br>Still necessary quite,<br>To keep the jester and the clown<br>From coming into sight? 

''''''[[Woods%20Price|Price]]

We know you know your onions,<br>A bonny charming bird<br>An easy gracious manner,<br>And ‘sex appeal’ – my word!

But Woodsie, have a heart<br>And justify the rhyme –<br>So fastidious a gentleman,<br>Should harbour gorgeous crime! 

''''''[[Sidney%20Blanchet|Blanchet ]]

When Sid’s abroad and on the job,<br>A-peddling of his gas<sup>1</sup><br>He seems a steady British lad,<br>But oh alack, alas!

When once the ‘French<sup>2</sup>’ in him is roused<br>And gets a taste of blood<br>The Johnny Bull is clean submerged<br>In devastating flood! – 

 

'''Footnotes:'''

1) Mildred is generally using British or Canadian spelling rather than American spelling (e.g. smouldering; harbour, hookey) 

2) Perhaps a reference to Dr. Blanchet’s lex pnuemothorax tuberculosis treatment? 

3) Dr. Blanchet was Canadian; his father was French speaking, and his mother was English speaking.

 

[[File:Mildred%20Blanchet%20and%20her%20mother%20Phylena%20McMaster.jpg|left|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchet%20and%20her%20mother%20Phylena%20McMaster.jpg|left|thumb||Mildred Blanchet and her mother Phylena McMaster, in the wheelchair. [[Phylena%20McMaster|Phylena]]| was not a tuberculosis patient, she had rheumatoid arthritis. ]] [[File:1913%20Winter%20Carnival%20Program.jpg|right|]][[File:1913%20Winter%20Carnival%20Program.jpg|right|thumb||1913 [[Winter%20Carnival|Winter Carnival]]| parade program cover by Mildred Blanchet ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchet's%20poem.jpg|left|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchet's%20poem.jpg|left|thumb||Artwork and verse for her husband, part of a set of verses, one for each doctor at Trudeau Sanatorium ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20Mistress%20Mary%20small.jpg|left|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20Mistress%20Mary%20small.jpg|left|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's design probably done for a NYC design company ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20rhododendrons%20small.jpg|right|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20rhododendrons%20small.jpg|right|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's wallpaper designs done for a NYC design company ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20Deco%20abstract%20small.jpg|left|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20Deco%20abstract%20small.jpg|left|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's wallpaper designs done for a NYC design company ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20polo%20players%20small.jpg|right|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchets%20wallpaper%20designs%20for%20a%20company%20in%20NYC%20Shelby%20has%20them%20-%20polo%20players%20small.jpg|right|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's wallpaper designs done for a NYC design company ]] [[File:Mildred%20Blanchet%20drawing%20of%20faun%20Meg%20has%20it%20small.jpg|right|]][[File:Mildred%20Blanchet%20drawing%20of%20faun%20Meg%20has%20it%20small.jpg|right|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's drawing of a fawn ]] [[File:Jeremy%20Blanchet%20bas%20relief%20made%20by%20Mildred%20Blanchet%201933.jpg|left|]][[File:Jeremy%20Blanchet%20bas%20relief%20made%20by%20Mildred%20Blanchet%201933.jpg|left|thumb||Mildred Blanchet's bas relief of her son Jeremy ]]

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## Footnotes

1. Ticonderoga Sentinel, September 4, 1941