Ella Condie Lamb: How Did She Manage?

"The Open Book" by Ella Condie Lamb

"One cannot help but wonder how the artist Ella Condie Lamb navigated her way through the sea of demands inevitably created by household, family, and social life. Somehow she found a way to sail her artistic ship. By 1901 she and Charles had had four children and she had produced a great deal of work. The last child, Condie, was born in 1900, soon after the completion of the mosaic mural for Sage Chapel at Cornell. There were now two households to manage, one in New York and one in Cresskill. 

Her children remembered how. 'It took hard work,' wrote Karl. 'It took determination, an orderliness of mind, spirit, and character; and of course, a great love of what she was doing.' 'She set a certain time to work,' said Donald:

'She was very disciplined about that... I remember the lists. It's amazing how much she did do. But she did have help. Mother at that time had a cook, a maid, and a mother's helper. Three, always. This was when, as I remember, she locked herself in the studio, nine to one.'

She wrote to a Mr. Wood, who had asked how she had managed to lead the life of a professional artist while caring for family and household:

'My dear Mr. Woods, My answer to your question in regard to mothers continuing their work without neglecting their children is too long for me to 'jot down' as it is one I have had to solve for myself. A wife and mother can continue her work, but it depends upon the woman, the kind of work desired, and certain conditions.

The exceptional woman can do it. It would be harder for a musician or actress or any profession involving tours away from home or for a businesswoman with longer hours, than for a writer or artist, personally I cannot do more than three or four hours a day of concentrated creative work, which leaves plenty of time for the family.

The conditions are

1. perfect health and steady nerves
2. adequate training before marriage, not only in her own profession so that work can be attacked quickly and skillfully but also in the science of motherhood
3. great system and executive ability so that no time need be wasted or strength squandered and the ability to jump into work when the opportunity comes.
4. means to secure house workers and train assistants to supervise the children, and good schools
5. power to limit oneself to these two interests
6. last, but by no means least, the husband who is in sympathy with his wife's aspirations and a source of inspiration and help to her, as she should be to him..."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Ella's Certain Window" by Barea Lamb Seeley.)