Archives For December 31, 2013
Gertrude’s sister, Sarah Jane (“Janie”) Cochran Sanford, married Italian diplomat, Mario Pansa, in 1937. Pansa played polo with Stephen Sanford, and served as a social adviser to Benito Mussolini before and during World War II. Below are images of the couple, as well as images from Mario’s time in fascist Italy and Germany during WWII.
We are still in the process of identifying some of the men in these photographs. If you recognize someone, let us know (mchughck@cofc.edu)!
Gertrude was an avid writer and artist, and she kept detailed journals of each place she visited over the years. She also wrote several books, including The Sands Ceased to Run, Gertie!, The Time of My Life. Below are images of these manuscripts in their different forms — from scrawled notes to final drafts!
This collection includes a large number of detailed scrapbooks Gertrude compiled over the years.
Gertrude funded expeditions for National Geographic and the American Museum of Natural History, during which they would collect specimens to display at Medway Plantation and in various museums.
These images are from some of her earliest expeditions to Africa, Abyssinia, and Indochina (1928-1932) and include Gertrude, her husband, Sidney Legendre, her brother, Stephen “Laddie” Sanford, and her brother-in-law, Morris Legendre.
Thanks to the project’s digital library assistant, Rebecca McClure, for these beautiful scans! These scrapbooks (and many more) will soon be available in a digital exhibit via the Lowcountry Digital Library.