“Adele Simpson”

Mary Baker Eddy Library, The. “Adele Simpson.” Released 28 February 2022.

A pioneer in the fashion industry, Adele Simpson attributed her achievements as an artist and a businesswoman to her study of Christian Science. Simpson was the youngest of five girls, often receiving hand-me-downs, but eventually, she started making her own clothes and wardrobes for her sisters. Simpson rose to the top of Seventh Avenue by the time she was 21, married a fabric salesman at 27, and by 29, she had acquired her own firm. Simpson was introduced to Christian Science through her sister-in-law Elsie and remained a devoted Christian Scientist for the rest of her life. As a child, she had resisted the idea of a God to be feared, but learning of the loving nature of God changed her view of religion. Two of the most significant aspects of Christian Science that benefitted Simpson were 1) “bringing the balance to her life that had been lacking” and 2) the idea that all her creative work was governed by Deity, not herself. She reminded herself that God came first in her life, and she saw her artistic work as an expression of the ideas that came from the one creative Mind.

View this resource on The Mary Baker Eddy Library website.

See also annotations:

“Belief, Courage, and the Female Spirit” by Gerald C. Wood

“Passionate Madonna: The Christian Turn of American Dancer Ruth St. Denis” by Kimerer L. LaMothe