Lifelong Fascinations: A Portrait of Margaret Woodbury Strong (Rochester History, Vol. 78, No. 1)

31 pp. Born in Rochester, New York, on March 20, 1897, Margaret Woodbury Strong grew up an only child in a wealthy family of collectors. Her father, John Charles Woodbury (1859 - 1937), collected coins and recorded life events in scrapbooks. Her mother, Alice Motley Woodbury (1859 - 1933), collected 19th-century Japanese objects d'art. And an admired aunt collected bookplates. The Woodburys provided Margaret with every advantage that money and social privilege enable. Her maternal grandfather, George Motley IV, owned a prosperous flour-milling business. Her paternal grandfather, Edmund Frost Woodbury, made a fortune in the buggy-whip industry. As early investors in the Eastman Kodak Company, the Woodburys' fortunes grew alongside those of George Eastman, and their community status afforded Margaret many unique opportunities. Thanks to her parents' passion for traveling, Margaret saw more of the world by age 11 than most people do in a lifetime. On one six-month trip, she visited the beaches of Hawaii, played with dolls in a Japanese teahouse, rode an elephant in Ceylon, and toured the waterfronts of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Canton. As an adult reflecting on her travels, she noted, "I was allowed to carry a small bag to put my dolls and toys in, and to add anything I acquired on the trips. Consequently, my fondness for small objects grew." The Woodburys also spent considerable time visiting museums and attending the theater. In short, they made Margaret's world into both a classroom and a playground. An active child, Margaret enjoyed numerous athletic endeavors and later became an accomplished bowler and golfer. She also followed the social schedule dictated by the period and class to which she belonged. A comprehensive round of teas, dinners, and dances filled her calendar, and she faithfully catalogued mementos from these occasions in scrapbooks. Additionally, she pursued photography and received tutoring in languages, history, music, and art. On September 9, 1920, at age 23, Margaret married Homer Strong, an attorney some 20 years her senior. They had one child, Barbara, born October 7, 1921. Barbara Strong began her education under tutors, later attended the Santa Barbara School for Girls, and subsequently graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. Like her mother, Barbara traveled with her parents and excelled in athletics. However, after two brief and unhappy wartime marriages, Barbara's health failed and she died at age 24. - Museum of Play