Femme et Fleur: Lazy Girl in Orient, New York: July 2023

Meeting Melita

As in summers past, I am renting a cottage in Orient, New York on the north fork of Long Island. This tiny village, with only a post office and a couple of stores, is home to the Oysterponds Historical Society. OHS is an outsized presence in the village. Its multiple museum exhibits and active programs bring a rich, cultural texture to life in Orient.

Built in 1798, Village House is one of the OHS museum sites. It started out as a boarding house for summer visitors who would arrive via steamboat from New York City. It has been beautifully restored with period rooms on its first floor, and six exhibition spaces on the second floor.

On view this summer at Village House is the work of Melita Hofmann, an author, illustrator and naturalist and the first curator of the Oysterponds Historical Society. The exhibit was curated by Alison Ventura, the Executive Director of OHS.

Village House on Village Lane, Orient, NY

Alison Ventura with an illustration by Melita Hofmann: Evening gown, Lace Over Chartreuse Silk, 1959.

Melita was born in 1907 in Toledo, Ohio. She moved to New York City and studied at the Parsons School of Design and New York University. She held various positions over her career. She taught art and was an art director at the publishing company, Grosset & Dunlap, where she designed books and book jackets. An accomplished illustrator, she did fashion sketching for magazines such as Harper's Bazaar. At its founding in 1944, Melita and her sister, Tabea, became "custodians" of OHS. Melita eventually was named curator and held that position until 1963.

Melita Hofmann in front of Village House.

Self-portrait by Melita.

"People said she was wonderful," Alison told me. Melita brought her vibrant personality and creative talents to OHS, staging exhibits, handicraft shows, theatrical evenings and history lectures.

Charming examples of Melita's art and writing are displayed in the exhibition. I particularly love her delicate drawings of women in period costumes done in watercolor and colored pencil. They are pretty in the best sense of the word. She seems to have been a true romantic with the ability to express herself through beautiful art work and writing.

I can imagine a moonlit summer evening at Village House some time in the 50s. Perhaps Melita has staged a tableau vivant against a backdrop of painted scenery with local residents playing the parts of sailors in Orient Harbor or square dancers in Poquatuck Park.

Melita's Lady in a Blue Evening Gown with a Tea Cup.

Pearls of Ferrara, published in 1943, by Melita Hofmann.

In its review of Pearls of Ferrara, The New York Times said, "She dreamed herself back so thoroughly into the days of the Italian Renaissance at the height of its splendor that her story of the two sisters reads like the account of an eye witness."

Original drawing for the book jacket of Pearls of Ferrara.

In the 60s, Melita also wrote and illustrated two books about nature: The Big Book of Birds and A Trip to the Pond.

Melita's bicycle built for two illustration.

The OHS holds a collection of over 60,000 items from Native American times through the 20th Century. The collection is managed by Willam McNaught, Curator and Amy Folk. Collections Manager. I was thrilled to take a peak into this trove when Alison offered to show me the archives, especially for the costume collection. Everything is neatly labeled and accounted for in archival boxes. What fun!