Beatrice Farnham

Beatrice Farnham (February 5, 1876 – February 19, 1979) was a 20th-century American artist and entrepreneur who was notable for her native-American-inspired fashion and handicrafts, her impassioned defense of tribal culture in newspaper interviews, and her outdoor wedding ceremony with noted Colorado park ranger John Otto.

Early life

Beatrice was born February 5, 1876, in Jefferson, Maine. She was the daughter of Briggs C. Farnham, a farmer who was born in Maine and lived in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and Minerva or Minnie C. Farnham. She was "brought up in a prim New England style in an ultra-conservative village" in a house that was more than a century old.

In the 1880 census, the four-year-old girl was listed as Flover B. Farnham

Business

In the 1910s she was living at 116 Randolph in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her occupation was given as "designer." Farnham spent three months a year "among the Indians of various tribes, gathering ideas for her work," and for six months she made articles "required by the chain of stores she supplies." She made "Indian novelties, such as curtains, cushions, baskets and indoor decorations." She traveled for three months to various cities in search of business and taking orders.

Interests

Native American culture 1911 sketch by Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch contrasts Farnham's attire and attitude with that of another woman in a hotel lobby as observers stare. In 1911, two major newspapers reported Farnham's interest in Native American culture. "The more I see of this boasted civilization, the more I like – Indians," she told Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She added:

Civilization! Why the Navajos have a civilization that is older and more tried and true than this. It makes ours look pallid and sickly. Culture? I know old Indians who are more cultured in the real sense of the word than your so-called polished men of the East. All Indians have an inborn sense of courtesy and hospitality toward strangers that would forbid such manners as cultivated strangers have shown me here this morning.

In August 1910, Farnham placed a classified advertisement in the Cincinnati Enquirer to sell a "new motor boat, fully equipped for cruising, size 32x8-1/2 feet; heavy duty engine; cost $1,800... at big sacrifice if at once; stored at Havana, Ill. Adress [sic] Miss Beatrice Farnham, South Weymouth, Mass."

A newspaper report in 1911 said that Farnham found South Weymouth "deadly dull and [nearby] Boston far too prim. What's more, she was given to shocking folks with her frank, outspoken opinions on men, women and things."

We will discard corsets, and rats, and puffs, and powder and give the girls the real complexion. Tan is a good asset for anyone, man or woman. . . . Cigarettes and cocktails will be tabooed.

Marriages To John Otto

Farnham and John Otto met in 1910 at a camp in the desert about fifty miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She returned a year later with three friends, where she renewed her friendship with Otto. They became engaged, and, instead of a ring, he gave her a burro named Foxy.

The marriage ended two months after it began, when Farnham "went back to her home near Boston, purportedly to collect some belongings and settle affairs" but did not return. They were divorced in February 1914, and Farnham paid $2,000 in alimony to Otto. It is not known when, or if, the two were divorced.

Later life and death

In 1920, Farnham and her mother were living on F Street in Washington, D.C., and she gave her occupation as bookkeeper for the government

By 1930, the two had moved to Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, Virginia, where Farnham became known as "Miss Bea." She built a private chapel on her property along the Dan River and painted a fresco on its walls.

She journeyed to Israel via El Al in 1958.

Tributes

In 1991 and 1992, forest ranger Lisa Eckert portrayed Beatrice Farnham in campfire presentations for visitors to the Colorado National Monument and to the Museum of Western Colorado.