Dora Geneva LENT
(1904 - 1983)

Dora Geneva LENT,
b: 1904 Ontario, Canada,
daughter of Williston F. W. LENT & Carrie Belyea DAVIDSON;
d: 28 Oct 1983 Victoria, BC, Canada

Residence:
1904 - Elmvale, Simcoe Co., Ontario, Canada;
1905 - Calgary, Alberta, Canada;
1926 - Twenty-first Ave. & Fifth St. West, Calgary (Map);
1962 - 808 Charles St., Victoria, BC, Canada (Map)

Article from Albertan Newspaper, 2/11/54 (excerpts):
"Miss LENT's Manuscript Praised by Professor . . .
20 years of research . . . Canada's history by Calgary's D. Geneva LENT.
She continued the work [by] her late father W. F. W. LENT,
prominent city lawyer, sufficiently progressive . . .
to graduate two women lawyers . . .
enthusiasm for creating, writing, research, art & music . . .
also from a long line of Canadians & was noted for her paintings.
Among their personal effects . . .
was a chair* in which five generations have sat
& in which three of her forefathers died.
Miss LENT's notes are in such excellent shape that anyone could . . .
carry on the relentless task she has begun.
It is likely . . . Canadian Book Week . . . Calgary's Miss LENT
will again be among the authors receiving recognition."
(Above information courtesy of the Glenbow Library, Calgary, AB, Canada)

Memories from an acquaintance:

(We) "used to go to tea all the time to Geneva's house, when she & 'Aunt MONEY' (long o sound) lived on St. Charles Street in Victoria, BC. Geneva, as we called her, had a dog called 'Fritz', we gave treats to all the time & drank hot chocolate in wonderful china mugs that had pictures painted inside the bottoms of the cups. Geneva had a lovely sun porch she used to paint her pictures there sometimes. (She had a) beautiful spanish doll . . sitting on her highboy dresser in her room . . The doll was large with a plaster (?) face, arms, legs. Silk-like black hair with a Spanish comb & black lace veil on it. The dress was of a taffeta material, deep wine red color. . (with) under skirts to make the dress full because it took up the whole top of the dresser. The face was very detailed . . Every little girls dream! They used to talk alot about Emily CARR . . they somehow knew that family too? Geneva also called her 'Aunt MONEY', it seemed she was at least 15+ yrs older than Geneva. *The chair, she always sat in that spot. It was on the left of the front window, by a gate-leg table & behind the chair were lots of books across that one wall with a couch & a long footstool in front as well. She had a huge personal library it seemed. We would set up that table for lunch & use small china plates that accomodated cups & sandwiches all on the same plate."

(Note: Emily CARR House is located at 207 Government St. in Victoria, just over two miles from the LENT house which was at 808 St. Charles St.)

Obituary of Dora Geneva LENT (excerpts from "T-C Oct 30/83"):
Dora Geneva LENT passed way (sic) on October 28, 1983
in Victoria, B.C. aged 79 years. . .
well known for her Coastal Indian Paintings
& writings on western early settlers. . .
Cremation to follow.
(Above information courtesy of
Information Management Services of BC, Victoria, BC, Canada)

Dora Geneva LENT was a member of the Dutch Society of New York.
She was preparing to write a book about the LENT family covering 1785 to 1826.

1981 & 1982 (before becoming ill),
Miss LENT donated her books & various materials
to the BC Provincial Archives,
the Calgary, AB University Library,
& a University in Seattle, WA, USA.
(Above information courtesy of K. MORRISON)

Three books written by D. Geneva LENT:
1. "West of the Mountains: James Sinclair and the Hudson's Bay Company",
Publisher: Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1963;
2. "Alberta Red Cross in Peace and War: 1914-1917" Calgary, 1947;
3. "Needle point as a hobby" (WorldCatLibraries.org)

Paintings by D. Geneva LENT:
Search BC Archives for "Dora Geneva LENT";
University of Calgary Library Special Collections - LENT, D. GENEVA, 1904-1983

Biography available in
"A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume 3",
Jacobi-Lismer (reprint of 1st edition-1978)
Author: MACDONALD, Colin S. (compiler)
Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Paperbacks Publishing, 1971

Links to:
The Alberta Society of Artists;
BC Archives;
Calgary, Alberta, Canada;
Calgary, AB University Library;
Canadian Book Week;
Emily Carr: At Home & At Work;
Emily Carr House Online;
Emily Carr Trust Collection, Vancouver Art Gallery;
Glenbow Library, Calgary, AB, Canada;
Information Management Services of BC, Victoria, BC, Canada;
National Library of Canada;
NEEDLE POINT. AS A. HOBBY, by DG Lent.
Published by Harper, New York, NY (WorldCatLibraries.org);
The Netherland Club of New York;
Nunatsiaq News (Nunavut, Canada)
"Politicians' hot air helps preserve art
Carvings, paintings suffer from human touch, low humidity";
Search BC Archives for "Dora Geneva LENT";
University of Calgary Library Special Collections - LENT, D. GENEVA, 1904-1983;
University of Washington Press

Maps:
Twenty-first Ave. & Fifth St. West, Calgary, AB, Canada Map;
Elmvale, Simcoe Co., ON, Canada Map;
808 St. Charles St., Victoria, BC, Canada Map

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