Talitha Botsford: Elmira's Lady of the Arts

Talitha Botsford (1901-2002) was a musician, composer, poet and artist. She learned the piano as a child and studied violin at the Ithaca Conservatory. During the 1920s and 1930s, she toured the Vaudeville circuit, playing violin with a series of all-women groups. After the death of her father, she returned to Elmira and played for Elmira Kiwanis, at local hotel lounges and the Iszard’s Tea Room. She also wrote a number of songs, five of which were published by the Schirmer Music Company. Talitha accepted commissions to paint and draw people’s homes and made postcards for area businesses and organizations. Her work was featured in a 1972 article in Hobbies: The Magazine for Collectors. She also wrote poetry which appeared in Readers’ Digest, The Sunday Telegram and three self-published volumes.

This virtual exhibit is a showcase of many of Talitha Botsford's paintings and postcards from the collection of the Chemung County Historical Society.