By STEPHEN BELCHER
PITTSFORD—The Pittsford Historical Society held its Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 15, in the Fellowship Hall of the Congregational Church in Pittsford. Following the meeting, Steve Belcher offered a presentation on the early career of Hilda Belcher (1881-1963), documented by a large archive of letters and paintings preserved in the family house. The focus was on three early paintings by Hilda that brought her recognition and some success: “The Checkered Dress” (1907), and the letters proved that the face in the painting is that of Georgia O’Keeffe; “Young Girl in Yellow” (1908), that won the Strathmore Prize ($500) offered by a paper company producing watercolor paper; and “Young Girl in White” (1909), which won the Beal Prize of the NY Water Color Club (the take, combining prize and purchase price of the painting, again totaled $500).
The presentation included family history: the period 1906-1910 marked six deaths in the family, as well as a marriage and a birth. The first death was that of Hilda’s father in 1906; he died of a heart attack walking from his lodging in Mt. Holly, Pennsylvania to the brickworks. His widow returned to Pittsford, where she had built a house in 1880 at the time of the marriage. In the following years, Margaret Colburn – who in 1909 married Hilda’s brother Stephen – lost her grandfather, an aunt, and her grandmother. Martha Belcher, Hilda’s mother, lost her sisters. One sister, mentally disturbed, died in White Plains, New York, where she had been placed in care. A pair of letters from Martha’s son–dated Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, 1909–illustrate the changes: the first informs his mother that he has made arrangements to ship the late aunt’s effects to Pittsford. Two days later, he swears his mother to secrecy on news that will become evident in June of 1910: his wife was pregnant. In 1910, Jane Belcher was born; in later life, she became an inspirational force for the Pittsford Historical Society.
