I received an inbox facebook message from a Mr. Adams informing me of a news article outlining the relationship of Marian Anderson to my grandmother Agnes Peters and how they were introduced. He also informed me that some of my grandmother's dresses are held at the Museum of the City of New York. I hope to have the opportunity of seeing some of Agnes' handiwork.
The article was written by Ollie Stewart of the Baltimore Afro-American dated April 19, 1941 on Page 17.
By Ollie Stewart
Next to her voice, the most outstanding thing about Marian
Anderson is her wardrobe.
On the concert stage, as social gatherings, at home or
wherever, she may be, America’s High Priestess of song is always a picture of
what the well-dressed woman will soon be wearing. She loves beautiful clothes, has lots of them
and wears them well. But if you think
they’re all expensive Paris or Fifth Avenue creations, then you don’t know
Marian Anderson.
The exquisite satin gown she wore at Carnegie Hall on the
night of January 3, 1941 was designed and made by a modest little woman in
Harlem, who is a wizard with needle and thread.
Her name is Mrs. Agnes Peters, and the telegram she received the day
after the concert is among her most cherished possessions:
“Dress tremendous success last night,” the wire read. “Enjoyed very much wearing it. Congratulations. Marian Anderson.”
Mrs. Peters has many more telegrams from the noted
contralto, and she preserves them every one.
Most of them are sent from the Algonquin Hotel, where Marian Anderson
stops when she comes to New York, and most of them are requests for Mrs. Peters
to make, repair or design some article of clothing.
Plans Wardrobe
“Miss Anderson is a marvelous person,” the modiste (Mrs.
Peters refers to herself as dressmaker) will tell you. “She is easy to fit, has
many ideas of her own and looks well in anything she puts on.
“She plans her wardrobe months ahead. Naturally she is very particular about an
evening gown, but for many of her other things she gives me a general idea of
what she wants and tells me to go ahead.”
A telegram dated November 3, 1939, marked the turning point
in Mrs. Peters’ career. It was sent to
the wrong address, but when it finally arrived it brought a thrill that comes
seldom in a lifetime. Here it is:
“Please call me at your earliest convenience. Miss Roberta Bosley recommended you. Marian Anderson.”
Nervous and trembling, Mrs. Peters presented herself at the
door of Marian Anderson’s suite in the Algonquin in a very short time. She is barely five feet four in high heels
ordinarily—but on this occasion she must have seemed even smaller, for Miss
Anderson remarked after greeting her and making her feel at ease:
“Little” Person
“My, I never expected you would be such a little mite of a
body!”
Back in 1937 Marian Anderson attracted nation-wide attention
when she appeared as soloist at the Lewisohn stadium in New York City. Among the thousands who heard her was Mrs. Peters
– then a struggling unknown, seamstress with no husband, but with a growing
daughter to rear and educate.
Mrs. Peters watched Miss Anderson in her hour of triumph,
and inspiration touched her. On the way
home she said to her companion: “Some day I hope to do some sewing for Marian
Anderson. Maybe I’ll even make a dress
for her to sing in. Who knows?”
Wishing and working made it so. Roberta Bosley, 135th Street
librarian, knew Marian Anderson. She
also knew what miracles the tiny seamstress could work with a scrap of cloth, a
needle, a thimble and a spool of thread.
So she brought the two together, with success.
Last summer, Mrs. Peters spent many weekends at Marianna
Farm, Marian Anderson’s country place in Connecticut, sewing, relaxing and
enjoying the intimate contact with the famous singer that millions will never
know.
Wears Slacks
“Miss Anderson wears slacks most of the time.” She says. “She raises all the green vegetables used in
the house, she nourishes her flowers and then she rehearses. Every day she rehearses with her accompanist.”
What about amusements?
“At night Miss Anderson would show us movies of her
travels. She has a first-class motion
picture camera and a projector. The
pictures are Technicolor, and were taken in all parts of the world. Miss Anderson operated the machine herself.”
Designs Simple
Mrs. Peters has been sewing practically all her life. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, one of a
larger family of children, she became an expert on doll dresses at an age when
she was scarcely any bigger than a large doll herself.
She has done work for a host of people, many of them
outstanding—but she thinks Marian Anderson is unique in one respect. “What I mean is,” she says, “Miss Anderson
will have nothing but the best – in material, workmanship, etc. But in designs she demands utmost
simplicity. The best on her does not
look expensive, it just looks right, and nice.”
