Mildred was born around the turn of the 20th century and was raised by her parents Schyler and Mary Proper in Fowlersville, NY, south of Avon. Schyler was trained as a surveyer, but also farmed and ran a general store. Mildred grew up a self-described tomboy, helping her father with the farming, until she reached puberty. She was hurt when he then cut her off.
For her high school graduation gift, her parents gave her a Brownie camera, which she immediately used to record her friends, school and surrundings in Fowlerville ca. 1918. Its indeed a snapshot of the time and place. The resulting photo album is still in my possesson, but has been copied by the Avon Historical Society.
Mildred then attended the forerunner of the Rochester Institute of Technology, where her mother, Mary, had
become an instructer following Schyler’s death. The course was hommaking. A lifetime horse lover, Mildred also took riding lessons from a retired cavelry officer at this time.
She went on to attend the Bouve Bosten School of Physical Education which later was incorporated into the Physical Education department of Tufts University. There she formed several lifelong and life changing friendships. She attracted the attention of Ruth Page Sweet, then head of the school; also “Cap” van Horn. I’m uncertain if she met Agatha Bredemeier at this school or at a summer camp following. Her photo albums reveal many travels and good times during this period. One of her adventures was a week spent beach cruising/camping in a rented catboat in the protected waters of Martha’s Vineyard with Cap. She produced a leather bound Log, full of photos and sophmoric good humor.
She worked summer camp counciler jobs with Agatha, “Aggie” Bredemeier, leading to her introduction to Carl. She and her friends were visitors to Carl’s Greenwood cabin and I still have some of the correspondence that resulted. Mildred introduced Carl to the charms of prewar Martha’s Vineyard, and we can say he fell hard for both. They were married by the indian minister at Gay Head (with Ruth Sweet attending) in 1935.
Carl tought Mildred drawing and painting. By the tiny output remaining, I judge her a more natural talent. I have a few sketches of row boats, a difficult subject, in perfect perspective. I have one painting of the clay cliffs at Gay Head with one of Carl’s handcarved frames around it. I have the hand hooked rug of the Martha’s Vineyard Map, surrounded by scenes that particularly charmed her. I also have some of the cartoons she used for these scenes. Mildred hooked this rug during WWII, probably a good way to escape the trials of the period. Carl was building small pieces of furniture at this time. Mildred had acquired a Kodak ‘Bantam’ camera and was shooting slides of her rugs and his furniture for submission to shelter magazines. I have some documentation of these efforts.
From her marriage in 1935, up to Carl’s prolonged sickness and death in 1946, was probably Mildred’s happiest period. She enjoyed the rustic lifestyle of Greenwood. The house in East Aurora, “Concord” was very pleasant too. Her sons were born in 1936 and 1940. But Carl’s passing was a tremendous blow, both psychologically and financially. Her only financial recourse was to continue running his business, while raising her boys, which seemed an immense hurdle to her. She managed to find housekeepers, and she managed the Gallery in a more businesslike way than Carl ever had. He ran a hangout for his fellow artists; she ran a “carriage trade” shop. As they grew up, both boys worked at the Gallery, Dave in Sales, Peter in the shop. Mildred’s hope was that they would become partners and carry on Carl’s name. Both declined the opportunity; Mildred’s dicitorial style of management had soured them. As she aged, Mildred found it easier to keep operating the Gallery than shut it down. She only quit when the building was demmolished, then moved to a retirement home Rochester, NY.
In the early ‘80s it became evident that Mildred was becoming increasingly disoriented as she entered her own ‘80’s. David cared for her around his home in S. E. Mass for 5 years; then she moved to Colorado where Peter could look after her. He had to place her in a series of homes for her dementia. She passed away at age 92 in the early ‘90’s.
Biography written by son David Bredemeier