Origins & Early Life

Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; April 20, 1892 – January 24, 1970) was an American publisher and writer. Time called her the "literary godmother to the Lost Generation of expatriate writers in Paris." As an American patron of the arts, she and her second husband, Harry Crosby, founded the Black Sun Press, which was instrumental in publishing some of the early works of many authors who would later become famous, among them Anaïs Nin, Kay Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Archibald MacLeish, Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Hart Crane, and Robert Duncan. She was also the recipient of a patent for the first successful modern bra. Born on April 20, 1891, in New Rochelle, New York, she was the oldest child of Mary (née Phelps) Jacob and William Hearn Jacob, who were both descended from American colonial families—her mother from the William Phelps family, and her father from the Van Rensselaers.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Her mother was the daughter of Civil War General Walter Phelps, and she had two brothers, Leonard and Walter "Bud" Phelps Jacob. She was nicknamed "Polly" to distinguish her from her mother. Polly's family was not fabulously rich, but her father had been raised, as she...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akira Mutō — Contemporary (Born in 1892) (1892): Imperial Japanese Army General implicated in war crimes during WWII.
• Alexander Alekhine — Contemporary (Born in 1892) (1892): A celebrated Russian-French chess master and four-time World Champion.
• Alexander Cartwright — Contemporary (Died in 1892) (1892): Founding member of the Knickerbockers and developer of early baseball rules.
• Abraham Maslow — Contemporary (Died in 1970) (1970): Pioneering American psychologist known for the Hierarchy of Needs and self-actualization theory.
• Alan Shearer — Contemporary (Born in 1970) (1970): English football legend, record goalscorer, and respected pundit.
• Allen Lane — Contemporary (Died in 1970) (1970): Pioneering British publisher who founded Penguin Books, bringing literature to the masses.
• 3rd Dalai Lama — Shared historical date (04-20 · Died) (1588): Founding figure of the Dalai Lama lineage, pivotal to Gelug school's rise in Tibet.
• Aloysius Bertrand — Shared historical date (04-20 · Born) (1807): French Romantic poet, pioneer of prose poetry, and Symbolist forerunner.
• Amedeo Modigliani — Shared historical date (01-24 · Died) (1920): Italian painter and sculptor known for elongated, modern portraits and nudes.
• B. V. Doshi — Shared historical date (01-24 · Died) (2023): Pioneering Indian architect, celebrated for modernist and brutalist discourse.
• 1892 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1892
• April 20 (04-20) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on April 20
• 1970 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1970
• January 24 (01-24) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on January 24