Lady History

Made this gold/black/purple number just for fun.

“If anything at all, perfection is not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
-Maria Tallchief, 2005

Maria Tallchief was born in 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma to Ruth Porter and Alexander Joseph Tall Chief. Maria’s father was full-blooded Osage Native American who had made a fortune following the discovery of oil on Osage Territory. Maria’s mother Ruth was of Scottish and Irish descent and delivered Maria’s younger sister Marjorie nearly two years after Maria’s birth.
From a young age, both sisters showed an affinity for music. Maria’s parents paid for several teachers who continually built her skill set. She showed major talent in both dance and piano. When quality teachers and roles became scarce in Fairfax, Maria’s family moved to Los Angeles. As she grew up in LA, Maria experienced various forms of discrimination. Many of her classmates would tease her for being Native American but Maria was determined to continue her studies despite this obstacle.
To pursue her dreams of ballet, Maria moved to New York City when she graduated. She was accepted into the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, a Russian ballet company. She quickly rose through the ranks and was a featured soloist by 1942. She continued to withstand various forms of discrimination and refused to change her last name despite several people urging her to do so in order to draw less attention to her heritage.
Tallchief is best known for her debut role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and as The Firebird. She became the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, and later founded the Chicago City Ballet with her sister in 1981. Throughout her career, Maria strived to perfect her craft while remaining true to herself. She broke barriers as a woman of color in a majority white art form while achieving great leadership positions. Her legacy continues even today, as young dancers everywhere follow her example of hard work, dedication, and ingenuity.
If you’d like to learn more about Maria, visit the resources below:
2007 Documentary Maria Tallchief Directed by Sandra Osawa
Children’s Book Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina by Tallchief, Wells, & Kelley
Autobiography Maria Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina

RBG!

Supreme Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Outfit for American Girl Doll 18'' Doll “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say, ‘When there are nine’ People are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” -Justice Bader Ginsburg Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a shin...