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Cordelia J. Stanwood (1 August 1865 – 20 November 1968) was an American ornithologist. She was also known for her wildlife photography. One of her great achievements was the creation of Birdsacre Sanctuary. Before being known as an ornithologist and wildlife photographer, Cordelia was a teacher and principal. She taught both grammar and art during her lifetime.

Early life and education

Cordelia was born to a wealthy merchant's daughter and a sea captain in Maine. When she was fourteen, Cordelia moved in with her aunt, also named Cordelia, and her family in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1886, Cordelia J. Stanwood graduated from Girls' High School of Providence and was successful there. For the next year, she trained to become a teacher at Providence Training School for Teachers. She graduated in 1887, and her first teaching job was at Messer Street Training School. Cordelia desired to become Critic Teacher at the school, so she studied in Martha's Vineyard for a summer. This was where she first met Henry Bailey, an artist who eventually became a teacher and friend. Five years after being hired as a teacher, Bailey persuaded Cordelia to attend the Normal Arts School in Boston, Massachusetts. Cordelia was also a principal at this time. While she graduated and did well at the school in Boston, she did not find employment. She then went back to Providence, Rhode Island, and taught. Until the year 1900, Cordelia taught in other places in Massachusetts and New York.

Beginnings in ornithology

Sighting of a Flicker, Reported by Cordelia J. Stanwood

At about 1900, Cordelia was admitted into a sanitorium due to a "nervous" breakdown. There she stayed and began developing her ornithological expertise. In 1904, Stanwood, then 39, was released from a sanitarium and sought to return to teaching. Unfortunately, she was deemed unfit despite her previous two decades of experience and opted into further developing her ornithological research. She then moved back to Ellsworth, Maine, where she had spent the first fourteen years of her life. During her recovery, Cordelia continued bird watching and wrote about the birds she observed while taking pictures of them. Her findings and writings were shared in a variety of journals and articles. While she grew up in a home of means, she did not have access to much funds when she was older. Cordelia insisted on being independent and continued to make money on her own. This often came from doing farm chores or selling the crafts she would make. Other income came from articles she wrote that were published in farming magazines. Marcia Bonta says in her book, "Too proud to accept help from anyone, even her siblings, she was reduced in her old age to selling greeting cards from door to door."

Photography

Picture of Alder Flycatcher by Cordelia J. Stanwood

In 1910, Cordelia published her first observational study titled, "The Hermit Thrush: the Voice of the Northern Woods." Her career as a photographer started in 1916, and the American Ornithologist's Union presented her portrait in the Library of Congress in 1934. She later gave the pictures she took to the Acadia National Park and her notes to the Ellsworth Bird Club.

Death and Birdsacre

Cordelia J. Stanwood died at age ninety-three on November 20, 1968. Her final home and land became the Birdsacre Sanctuary and is considered a National Park. Cordelia's writings, photographs, and findings live on at Birdsacre Sanctuary as well as places such as the Smithsonian.

References

Category:1865 births Category:1968 deaths Category:American ornithologists Category:Women ornithologists Category:American women photographers Category:Photographers from Maine