PART 1 - NEW YEAR'S EVE -- 1918

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL

100 YEARS LATER

by Doug Capra © 2018

Part I - New Year’s Eve 1918

BELOW -- Looking south out toward Resurrection Bay at 9:12 a.m. today -- Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Yesterday was miserable -- rainy and windy. But this is what we woke up to this morning. I show this to illustrate not only how quickly weather changes here along the coast of Alaska, but also how radical the change can be. Kent experienced the same conditions this time of year on Fox Island, and on days like today with a rising sun like this one, you can see why he called this place his Northern Paradise. Fox Island is at center under the dark cloud. Capra photo.

It’s New Year’s Eve -- 1918 -- in New York City.

Kathleen Kent is busy as usual with the care of little Kathleen, Clara and Barbara. The “kiddies” have been ill off and on, and with the influenza still gripping the world, there’s always concern. When the children are sick, she’s homebound in their 139 W. 15th Street apartment. Her maid Bessie can look after them when their mother does grocery shopping. That’s a daily excursion, as is a walk with the children if they are well. Occasionally her friends Bernice and Billy take her out on the town to a show. That’s a real treat for Kathleen and she embraces those excursions with a special delight – even though her husband has been critical of those outings. She’s not spending enough time reading his letters and answering them. Her letters are too short and carelessly written. They sound to him as if she just wants to get them written quickly. They don’t show enough love and affection. His expectations are clear for her, especially for New Year’s Eve. Rockwell expects Kathleen to spend the evening at home thinking of him and writing a nice, long, loving letter. He wants the New Year’s Eve dedicated to their marriage. Even with all her chores and cares she is well aware of the significance of this day – December 31, 1918.

Kent and his family shortly after their return from Newfoundland.

On this day ten years ago she married a charming, charismatic, socialist, vegetarian artist named Rockwell Kent. She is just eighteen years old and he is twenty-six. The politics of this energetic and opinionated painter do not sit well with her old and conservative New England family, the Whitings. Staunch Unitarians, they insist that this atheist artist submit to a church wedding with a minister. Kent reluctantly agrees, as he long as he can write the vows -- which he does. 

Kathleen as a young wife. 

Within a year after their marriage, while Kathleen is pregnant, and Kent is having an affair with an old flame from Monhegan Island off the Maine coast. Jennie also becomes pregnant. Kathleen gives birth to their son, Rockwell III (Rockie) and a few months later Jennie gives birth a boy she names Carl. Kathleen is devastated when she learns of the affair and child, leaves Kent, and returns to her family with Rockie in the Massachusetts Berkshires. Kent goes back to Monhegan and New York City and they correspond. In his letters Kent abuses Kathleen's parents, her uncle the artist Abbott Thayer under which he had studied, and her cousin Gerald, who had been his friend. It can’t be pleasant for Kathleen with her family and their “We told you so” manner. She eventually returns to her husband. Kent introduces Jennie and Kathleen to each other and expects them to just get along. He even arranges meetings for the mothers with the two babies. Kent is constantly on the move and he and Kathleen correspond. She begs him to leave her and go to Jennie. She can’t stand seeing Jennie suffer and views herself as the cause. Kathleen even insists on selling her jewelry to help Jennie and the baby. Kent doesn’t see it that way. They’ll deal with this together, he tells his wife. He takes his saving and some of his property and creates a trust to take care of Jennie and baby Carl– placing his family into financial straits. Carl is sickly and dies after only a few months. Jennie marries a doctor. Kent now wants the trust returned to him since the money was for Carl not Jennie. The case goes to court and doesn’t get settled until 1915. Rockwell has pledged to Kathleen that he will embrace his "better self" and remain faithful to her. She forgives but doesn’t forget.

Sometime during that last day of December 1918 Kathleen steps out of the house for a short time. Perhaps she takes the children, or maybe only little Kathleen, the oldest. While she’s gone, Bessie would have been at home to let in her husband’s friend, Carl Zigrosser. He’s on has a special mission, on assignment from Rockwell. Kathleen knows Zigrosser well. He visits often. Not long ago he gave her many copies her husband’s Chart of Resurrection Bay to distribute to family and friends.  Kent sent him the original and asked him to reproduce it. On this New Year’s Eve visit, Zigrosser drops off two special letters from Rockwell. Back in late November Kent left Fox Island for Seward to pick up his mail and send out a new batch. Having experienced the painfully slow mail service, Kent composed two special New Year’s Eve letters to Kathleen and sent them to Zigrosser. They would go out by December 3^rd or 4^th and be sure to reach his friend so he could get them to Kathleen for their anniversary. Kent also sent Zigrosser some personal art for Kathleen and money for his friend to buy flowers for Kathleen.

Kent's Chart of Resurrection Bay that became the endpapers of his book, Wilderness.

When she gets back she finds the flowers, the letters, the sketches and a short note from Zigrosser who wrote: “Dear Kathleen:  Rockwell has told me that today is your wedding anniversary and has asked me to bring you a letter and drawings and flowers from him. And I would like to and a note of congratulations on so momentous an occasion. I was reading a book by Will Levington Comfort the other day and somewhere he says that the greatest and noblest creation possible to humanity is the creation of a child. In this you and Rockwell have been singularly fortunate. It must be a great triumph and comfort to you to reflect how much you have counted toward their care and protection. I can imagine, too, that what association with Rockwell must have meant during the past years and if he character and work of little Rockwell fulfill their promise, it is possible that you are the mother as well as the companion of genius. With best wishes for a happy New Year. I remain – Sincerely, Carl Zigrosser.” One can only imagine Kathleen’s surprise, on many levels.

Between 1908 and 1915 Kent is frequently absent working to support his family. In addition to Rockie, they now have two girls, Kathleen and Clara. Kathleen and the children frequently move. Kent is always seeking less expensive accommodations for them as he struggles with his art career. He goes to Newfoundland scouting out possibilities for an art school and colony. He goes to Winona, Minnesota overseeing the construction of two mansions. In 1914 as the Great War begins Kathleen and Kent sell off many of their possessions and move to Newfoundland. There another daughter is born – and they name her Hildegarde – probably after the young daughter of a German family that had befriended Kent in Winona. By 1915 Kent and his family are ousted from Newfoundland for his German sympathies and obtuse practical jokes. He’s back in New York now working at an architectural firm – Ewing and Chappell – thanks to his close friendship with George Chappell. Kathleen is struggling to care for four children now in one of the houses Kent built on Monhegan Island – but there will be other moves in the next few years. In the summer of 1916 while in New York, Kent is smitten by a young follies dancer. He is 34-years-old. She’s about ten years younger – slim, blond and with a sweet German accent. By chance, her first name also happens to be Hildegarde – Hildegarde Hirsch. 

Hildegarde Hirsch, from a 1920 passport photo.

Kent begins this new affair with no attempt to keep it secret from Kathleen. Kathleen hasn’t forgotten about Jennie and baby Carl. She’s older now and more experienced with her husband’s ways. She’s not the sweet, innocent 18-year-old he married on New Year’s Eve 1908. From the beginning she lets him know she doesn’t accept what she grows to call his “transgressions.” In her letters, especially through 1917 and again 1918 before he leaves for Alaska, she makes her displeasure clear. And while he’s on Fox Island, Kathleen becomes even more outspoken. Having learned that he’s spending too much money on Hildegarde, and that he’s sending her mail and gifts addressed to Mrs. Hildegarde Kent, she presents her husband with an ultimatum. It’s either her or me. You must leave her if our marriage is to continue. Kent tells Kathleen he has written to Hildegarde ending the affair. Kathleen no longer believes him and demands to see the letter he’s written to her. During these early months that Kent is on Fox Island, their correspondence sometimes becomes toxic – especially Kent’s.

 After the children are in bed, Kathleen sits down at her table. Its late in the evening of Dec. 31, 1918. Rockwell had asked that she dedicate the evening to him and their marriage and she has agreed. The flowers are beautiful and their scent is intoxicating. The thought behind her husband’s gifts is not just romantic, but also touching and sincere. As she reads those anniversary letters and admires the flowers and sketches, her hope increases. Rockwell’s sentiments are honest and heart-felt. Something has happened to him on Fox Island. He has changed. Perhaps they have crossed over into a new beginning. Maybe some of what Rockwell’s friend, George Chappell has told her about her husband is worth considering. As the new year begins, Kathleen starts writing longer and more loving letters.

The beginning of one of Rockwell's New Year's Eve letters to Kathleen.

The irony is this: Rockwell wrote her those inspiring letters weeks ago but she only got them on New Year’s Eve. In between, their correspondence has been mixed. He’s been begging her to join him in Alaska. She’s been hesitant. He’s continued with his criticism of her and she has continued her distrust of him. Kent opened his heart in those letters of late November, but won’t get her responses until mid to late January. Before he gets those, he may compose letters to Kathleen that revert to his old critical, unkind and insensitive attitude.  And – because he’s still uncertain of Kathleen’s faithfulness and love – he may turn again to Hildegarde, even though he’s told both women that the affair is over. The two are living in two different worlds separated by time and space. With the slow mail, they are not able to truly communicate. 

TO BE CONTINUED – In the next entry we’ll delve into the contents of those two anniversary letters Kent wrote, and Kathleen’s early responses to them.