About
Kathleen has been a freelance writer for many years, publishing history-focused articles in New England magazines and newspapers. She is also the producer a podcast series, called "People Hidden in History", with an impressive list of guests. Her up coming biography on the miniature artist Amalia Kussner, "The Miniature Painter Revealed", has been a goal of hers since she started in-depth research on Kussner 4 years ago. Kussner was a distant relative, and Kathleen had grown up around her miniatures in her grandmother's home. While doing extensive online research, there was so much more to learn than what her family had relayed, and with time she collected enough material for a biography. This biography will be "visually rich" and contain never before seen images of her professional and personal life. The biography will list a veritable Who's Who of the Gilded Age Kussner's star shined bright from 1893 to 1911. I plan to do "free" mini-lectures about her prior to the May 2025 publication. You are welcome to contact Kathleen through Instagram and Threads - @phihpod or BlueSky: @phihpod.bsky.social.
Featured Work
The Miniature Painter Revealed - Amalia Kussner's Gilded Age Pursuit of Fame and Fortune
From simple beginnings, Amalia Kussner rose to fame as a talented and bold artist, and ultimately became one of the most sought-after miniature portrait painters of the Gilded Age. At a time when the use of photography was on the rise, many still loved miniatures, which had a feeling and soul to them that photos could not duplicate. Amalia’s portraits of the American elite provided a grandeur that matched how they perceived themselves—as the royalty of America. Her subjects included members of the Astor family, Consuelo Vanderbilt, “dollar heiress” Minnie Paget, England’s Edward VII, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra, and diamond mine magnate Cecil Rhodes. At the height of her career, from the mid-1890s to early 1910, having a Kussner miniature was just as important an accessory as owning fine jewelry or a mansion in Newport.
Other Works
-
Podcast Series - People Hidden in History (ongoing)
2020
