Madeline Yale Wynne was an American artist, teacher, writer, and philanthropist.
Life
Madeline was born in Newport, New York, the daughter of Linus Yale, Jr., and Katherine Brooks. In 1865 when she was 18, Madeline was married to Henry Winn. The couple had two sons—Philip Henry, born January 17, 1868, and Sydney Yale, born September 6, 1870—but the marriage came to an end in 1874. Following her divorce, she changed the spelling of her last name to Wynne. Having been schooled in the technical arts by her father, Madeline studied painting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston during 1877−1878, at the Art Students League of New York in early 1880, and later in Europe. During the 1880s, while visiting Florence, she met fellow craftsman Annie Cabot Putnam. The two became lifelong partners, initially sharing a studio in Boston. After having been a resident of Shelburne Falls for most of her adult life, in 1885 Madeline began spending her summers with Annie at the village of Deerfield, Massachusetts. Assisted by her son Philip, she worked with Annie to restore and refurbish the historic Willard House, which they dubbed the "Manse". This 1768 Georgian mansion was the former home of the ReverendSamuel Willard. In 1895 she turned to writing; Madeline's supernatural short story "The Little Room" was published in Harper's Magazine and was well received. It was later released in a collection of Wynne's short stories called The Little Room and Other Stories, along with The Sequel to the Little Room. She wrote for Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Monthly, Home Beautiful, and various other publications. Madeline helped to found and lead the Deerfield Society of Arts and Crafts in 1901, which became an umbrella organization for the arts movement in the village. Wynne served as the curator as the movement produced a broad array of artistry, including jewelry, photography, weaving, basketry, rugs, and furniture. She and Annie became very influential in developing arts and crafts in the community, with Madeline organizing tours of the village's craftwork and arranging speaking engagements. The two women were expert metal smiths in their own right.
