Miss Louise O'Shields, Her Art, And The Harlem Renaissance

Miss Louise is a creative friend of mine and a faithful member of the Build a Line Challenge.....in fact, she's a proud graduate:

We had many unique students in the class....but  I freely admit, her final blog post recounting  her  personal story  made the artist inside me LEAP!    For a fact, there she hails from a  rich heritage and  life experiences that have influenced her art jewelry in such an elegant, intriguing way.

Many of us know what it's like to be baby boomers, children of the 60's....70's....to be honest, I believe Miss Louise, like myself!  is all that...

But she is also a child of children of the Harlem Renaissance.  Her parents, relatives and the elders of her community lived the Harlem Renaissance experience.    She grew up hearing great stories about dancing at the Savoy and the Cotton Club.

Miss Louise grew up basking in the literary greatness  and performance art of the Harlem Renaissance time.   The era was  a time of change influenced by  fashion, style and Art-Deco flavored art along  with  influences of what some call 'primitivism'.  (You can look that up for homework, troops!)

During this epoch, (just post WWI through 1940)  people gifted in literature, music and art of many races came together in Harlem.  This rich melting pot  gave rise to a new voice....and the arts have never been the same, even history was effected by it.  They say that the civil rights movement has some of its own roots in the Harlem Renaissance.  

In fact, the movement was also popular in countries abroad.  For example, expatriots living in France took up the spirit of the Renaissance 'vibe'.   The influence in Parisian culture was also palpable at the time.    A case in point that might strike a familiar chord would be Miss Josephine Baker:

Would you like to see Josephine Baker's performance art?  Here is a video from the mid-20's:

 

That period of rich culture, forward thinking and change is one that should be looked at as carefully as an artist would study Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Art Moderne ....and various other design styles.   It has a flavor all its own that is discernable.  Once you see it and understand it, you will always know it.

Miss Louise LIVED IT, growing up in her parents' home in Harlem, NYC, USA:

Why, that's her brother Carl, her mother, Louise, her daddy, Mr. Bobby....and of course, happy little Louise in the center.

Here is a picture of Louise, her mother Louise, and Peg Leg Bates, who was a very famous tap dancer of the Harlem Renaissance time:

Here are some family members all dressed up to go out:

Louise states that her mother, aunts and all of the women in her community were such phenomenal ladies full of love, wisdom and life.   To this day she lives by their example.   The Harlem Renaissance design style that influenced her youngest years is what she returned to when she created her line for the BALC challenge.   She calls her line Desire Divine Jewels:

The necklace is built on a vintage applique collar worn by her mother during the period.  Louise added a bit to it, and her entire selection of designs bounced off this piece.

I am certain that Miss Josephine Baker would have proudly worn Miss Louise's "Empire Bracelet".

Key to her upbringing in Harlem were the words of her mother, to always be a lady.    So Miss Louise named this beautiful brooch, "Always a Lady":

I loved everything Louise made for her contribution to the class but I believe this brooch is my very favorite.  It is so "on point" for the period.  For me it speaks everything the Harlem Renaissance was, both here in the states in Harlem itself, and abroad.

I want to thank Miss Louise for telling her story.  It only makes me want to hear more, learn more about the Harlem Renaissance, and most of all!  to see her grow and go on with this delicious design style.  I truly hope she will grow her line and make it a collection. 

What about YOU?  What's at the root of YOUR design style?

You know, it's not uncommon to draw from your personal heritage, as Miss Louise did.  

I'm quite partial, for example, to vintage jewelry design style of the 30's-50's. I spent summers in my Grammy's house, and Grammy didn't change much of anything  in her house from the time it was built through the time my mother grew up to the time I was a teenager in the early 70's.  She built on to the house  and made it larger as it was the center for family gatherings.... but the same quilts were on the beds, same family memorabilia in the closets, even some of my mother's school clothes and her old clothes were still there in the dressers.  Grammy had the same Blue Willow made-in-England chinaware from the time she got married, and she proudly used it for all our family dinners.  Grammy's jewelry was old gold-filled mounted cameos, things passed down, and Lisner and Coro department store pieces to accessorize outfits.

She was rather particular for a farmer's wife!

Those early experiences being part of who I am today---just as Miss Louise's are part of who SHE is....little wonder that I gravitate toward vintage looks.

It would be fitting to end my post about Louise O'Shields  with this quote from Langston Hughes, a leading writer and poet of the Renaissance time. 

Langston Hughes was a man who refused to differentiate between his own life experience and the experience commonly had by African Americans in that era.  Instead, he focused on telling stories of his people that shared their humor, their laughter, their love of music and language.   In this way, he honored them:

 

If you have that dream, remember:  Dreaming alone does not a reality make.

A dream come true requires courage, hard work and focus.   Louise O'Shields has those vital qualities inside her.

Besides her family pieces,  I am gratified to say that Louise used jewelry findings and filigree for her filigree jewelry from my website, B'sue Boutiques , where we focus on high quality goods that many times, whisper ideas from another era.

I hope one day to write again about Louise and how she has moved forward to expand her work.   May it be like a tree that grows tall, strongly rooted in the culture of the Harlem Renaissance.

Find Louise O'Shield's blog posts at Desire Divine Jewels and you will also find her at Facebook here

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Comments

[Lynn]

Thank you for sharing
Cheers Lynn

[Nike Bottalico]

What an awesome blog! Thank you for sharing!

[Lori Beekman]

I love the connection. Such a great story. Beautiful jewelry, too.

[Pamela Anger]

Great blog post, and so nice to hear more about Louise's background! <3

[Carol Combs]

So very interesting...and era full of rich history worth exploring further. I could tell from following Louise's blog and post she is very much a lady. I too think her line will be very successful if she continues to share her "why", the reason behind her creations. Thank you for shining the light on Louise in this post.

[Lee Koopman]

Such an interesting time period, a fascinating time when so many changes were taking place. Louise has certainly captured the romance of this period with her beautiful pieces. One can see her identification with this period and her love of the history of her heritage. It shows in her fine work.

[Melissa Latimer]

Rich and powerful imagery. Beautiful jewelry. I loved reading this!

[Louise]

Thank you so much Ms. Brenda for sharing a part of my B’sue Boutiques “Build A Line Challenge" journey and my jewelry line final designs! My entire jewelry line was created and developed because of this very challenge and for that I am so very excited and grateful!! I was thrilled to just have a reason to bejewel myself and my jewelry line with B’sue Boutiques amazing vintage inspired brass stampings and endless filigree jewels, but most of all I truly appreciate you sharing the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and its collective contributions to the world of jewelry design! Thank you so very much everyone for your amazing encouragement it has truly meant the world to me! Always Grateful Louise!

[Belinda]

Loved this blog, so interesting! so exciting! I love the glamor of it all. I love your jewelry Louise, I think it fits so well, and you are going to do well with this line. My favorite piece is the embroidered collar with your touches, so beautiful! :D

[Louise]

Wow Thank you all so very much for your amazing heartfelt encouragment.Your kind words of inspiration have been the ultimate gift for me! I am forever inspired because of all of you! Always Grateful Louise O'Shileds

[Sue Shade]

I love Louises jewelry line. I so enjoyed seeing the inspiration that was the basis for her designs. Thanks for sharing this blog.

[Marcia Tuzzolino]

What a wonderful, rich heritage you had, Louise! Brenda I loved reading this story. I love the inspiration behind your jewelry line, Louise. Your pieces are exquisite. Thanks to both of you for sharing a bit of your lives and inspirations. Loved it!!

[Renee Hong]

I especially loved this post. I was so intrigued by Louise's choice of theme for her line, and loved what she accomplished. I think there should be a press release somewhere in the heart of NYC...

[Alexandra Sefton]

I love the "Always a Lady" piece and the story behind it and all Louises's fabulous and glowing pieces. She has such a big heart for all people and is so funny! Would love to hear more stories of the mischief she got into as a kid--because I think she has a mischievious side too! This was a wonderful blog--thanks to Brenda and Louise for telling her story! <3

[nadine]

Louise's story and style knocked my socks off from the very beginning! I'm so glad you chose to shine the spotlight on her for this post. Such a rich period and a story filled with so much love and connections. I wish everyone could hear this story! Thanks for sharing.

[Coral]

I did not grow up in America but I can feel more about how Louise's inspiration from her past after reading Brenda's blog. It's very touching so is the jewelry.

[Louise]

Wow ladies thank you so very much for your collective encouragement, but most of all thank you for sharing with me the awe-inspiring gifts of you! Always Grateful Louise

[Teresa Schurter]

Louise's jewelry and story are fantastic. I LOVE them. My dad was a huge fan of all jazz & the early blues music, it's what I grew up with. I never thought of the Cotton Club or early jazz musicians as a part of "Black History" but more a part of my own life & music history in general. It's something of a treasured memory -remembered thru my dad- who so enjoyed his memories of the "dancing and romancing" there and at the Savoy, even though we were living in northern Illinois over 25 years later. I totally enjoy seeing her jewelry because it brings all of it back to me.

[ianke]

Thank you for sharing Louise's story. A story which is for me in Scandinavia a story that is quite fascinating, since my story is so far from what she is telling about.

[Kate Mulligan]

Wow! I believe that her creativity is making History today. The idea for her Line caught my attention at the very start of the challenge. Her unique designs are ripe with history from her life, and her family, and are nourished with the arts, rich cultural influences and much love. To me, her line shouts: Elegance. Beauty. Confidence. Wearing her creations, I believe, would truly make the statement "Always a Lady". Thank you for writing this Blog Brenda Sue! Louise, thank you for sharing so much of your life with all of us!

[Louise]

Ladies I am beyond humbled and so very grateful for the gifts of all of you!! I know that my accomplishments during this Build A Line Challenge is because of the amazing strength and encouragement from all of you. Thank you forever for all of your support! Always Grateful Louise

[Danielle]

Beautiful line and beautiful history behind it!