Context at a Glance
Historical Context
- 1854 - Topeka established before Kansas entered statehood in 1861
Street car lines and horse drawn carriages permeated Topeka in the late 19th and early 20th century.
- 1914 - 1919 - WWI
Frank enlisted in the draft in 1917 around the age of 25/26. He worked on the East Coast during and after this period.
- 1916 - Topeka Art Guild Established
Frank was one of the members of the Washburn College group associated with the Topeka Art Guild the year of its founding.
- 1920 - Passing of the 19th Amendment: Women's Right to Vote
Adeline attended undergraduate and graduate studies before this time.
- 1920s - 1930s - Prohibition Era in the United States
Frank engaged himself with the Prohibition Association at Washburn College during his time prior to Prohibition being formally implemented in the United States. Frank's letters in the Near East recounted the cultural differences of the United States and Europe at the time with his encounters of British officers consuming alcohol.
- 1924 - Mulvane Art Museum Established
Adeline became associated with the museum early in its establishment. Frank and Adeline both attended Washburn College well before the museum existed and became a part of the Washburn campus.
- 1939 - 1945 - WWII
- 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education: Desegregating Schools
Adeline was 65 at the time of this landmark supreme course case. Frank and Adeline attended schooling during major periods of segregation in the United States. Adeline lived in Topeka during this historical case.
American Committee for Relief in the Near East
ACRNE
Throughout the years of 1915-1923, the Near East faced many internal tensions after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Formally, studies now recount this period as being a genocide perpetrated against the Armenians and Syrians by the Turkish. During this time, there were massacres, mass deportations, and many children were orphaned due to the tumultuous conditions.
The United States mounted efforts to aid in relief campaigning as the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE). Thousands of volunteers and missionaries went overseas with the ACRNE, and some were associated with the Red Cross. Nearly one billion dollars had been raised by the U.S. with these efforts, but worsening conditions persisted.
Adeline and Frank joined the relief efforts of the ACRNE in 1919, working in parts of Syria and Turkey. The pair recounted the conditions they faced, describing the mass graves they saw, injuries, and Frank's experience with the siege while stationed in Aintab, Turkey.