Ross and Dollie Carpenter papers, 1881-1996

Lebbeus Ross Carpenter Jr. was born in 1876 in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Vashon Island around 1886 with his parents and three brothers. After graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1905, he studied journalism and art under several mentors. Under the name L. Ross Carpenter his illustrations appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sunday Magazine, Seattle Town Crier, and Pacific Motor Boat Magazine. He also produced short fiction in publications such as Overland Monthly and Grit magazine. His art was featured in exhibitions of Northwest Artists and he was a member of the Vashon Island Art League. In 1919, he married Dollie Carpenter in Hawai’i and the couple lived in Los Angeles. When Carpenter’s vision began to fade, he gave up art and worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of History until 1946. Upon retirement from the museum, the Carpenters returned to Vashon Island. L. Ross Carpenter died in 1957.

Dollie Carpenter, born Blanche Edith O’Neill, was born on April 27, 1886 at Shearness, Sheppy Island, England. Following her father’s death at a young age, Dollie’s mother moved her and her siblings to New Zealand. While she was still a teenager, Dollie decided to move to the United States, and sailed with a friend via San Francisco and Alaska before landing in Washington. She remained in Seattle and worked as a secretary while enjoying life in the Pacific Northwest. She kept a diary of her time as a young woman, recording the Big Snow of 1916, mountain climbing adventures, and dancing at the Hippodrome.

Dollie Carpenter remained on Vashon Island after her husband’s death, becoming a member of the Vashon United Methodist Church. She died in 1993 at the age of 107.