Henriette Alice McCrea-Metcalf

Henrietta Alice "Henriette" McCrea Metcalf (McCrea often francized her first name as "Henriette".) The partner of Thelma Wood from 1928 to 1943, McCrea inspired the character of "Jenny" in the 1936 book Nightwood by Wood's former partner Djuna Barnes.

Early life McCrea was born Henrietta Alice McCrea on January 4, 1888 in Chicago to a wealthy Chicagoan family. McCrea's father, Wylie Solon McCrea, was a public utilities executive and the treasurer of Peoples Energy, and her mother, Alice E. McCrea (née Snell), was the daughter of the millionaire Amos J. Snell. The youngest of two siblings, McCrea's mother filed for divorce on charges of cruelty in October 1888.

Career A fan of theater and actors her collection of autographed photographs and other memorabilia is at the University of Kentucky. She was the dramatic editor for Vanity Fair. Metcalf was a translator from French into English, among her works: Alexandre Dumas' Camille and Anatole France's Our Lady's Juggler.

In 1926 she was the executive secretary of the Education Committee of the Roosevelt Memorial Association for Women. In the 1950s McCrea lived at Main Street, Newtown. She was member of the Board of Directors for the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut. In the 1970s McCrea let people farm four acres of her land in a project to have young people work together with their fathers in a rewarding activity.

She was interested in animal welfare and was an activist of Pet Animal Welfare Service (PAWS), Friends of Animals

Personal life Before her marriage to Willard Metcalf, McCrea was in a sentimental relationship with Ned Sheldon, a leading Broadway's playwright. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1921.

On May 27, 1981 McCrea died in Danbury, Connecticut aged 93.

Relationship with Thelma Wood McCrea met Thelma Wood in 1928, when the latter was still in a relationship with Djuna Barnes. The relationship was acknowledged by McCrea's family to the point that her son, Addison Metcalf, included references to Wood in letters to his mother.

Legacy Addison Metcalf founded The Henrietta Alice Metcalf Memorial Scholarship at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts to honor his mother love of the theater.

The Henrietta Alice Metcalf Performing Arts Photographic Collection, dated from 1880 to 1955, is hosted at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.