Gertrude Emerson Sen

Gertrude Emerson Sen (6 May 1890[1] – 1982) was an early 20th-century expert on Asia and a founding member of the Society of Woman Geographers.

Gertrude Emerson Sen
A white woman wearing a dark cloche-style hat, with the front of the brim folded upward
Gertrude Emerson Sen, from a 1936 issue of The Indian Listener
BornMay 6, 1890
Died1982
Occupation(s)Educator, writer, editor
SpouseBasiswar Sen
RelativesAlfred E. Emerson (brother); Edith Emerson (sister)
AwardsPadmashri(1976)

Early life and education

Gertrude Emerson was the daughter of Alfred Emerson, Sr., and Alice Edwards Emerson.[2] Her father was an archaeologist and professor at Cornell University;[3] her mother was a concert pianist.[4] She was the sister of famed entomologist Alfred E. Emerson, and of artist Edith Emerson who served as president and curator of Philadelphia's Woodmere Art Gallery (1940–1978).[5] Another brother, Willard, was a banker.[3]

Emerson graduated from the University of Chicago.[2]

Career

After teaching English in Japan,[6] Sen returned to the United States to become the associate editor of Asia magazine in 1917.[7] In 1920 she undertook a round-the-world expedition with photographer Donald C. Thompson which included stunt flying and caving.[8][9] In 1925, she was one of the founding members of the Society of Women Geographers.[4] In 1926, she traveled from Beirut through the Arabian Desert and Afghanistan to India.[10] In 1941, she was named a contributing editor to Asia magazine.[11]

Eventually she settled in Almora in northeastern India, participated in rural life, and came to love the culture of her adopted country. Her attachment is reflected in her books Voiceless India (1930),[12] Pageant of India's History (1948),[13] and Cultural Unity of India (1965).[14] Although not born in India herself, she strongly disapproved on the involvement of non-Indians in subcontinental matters. She was awarded with Padmashri for literature and education in 1976 by Government of India. [15]

Personal life

Emerson married Indian native Basiswar Sen on November 1, 1932, in Calcutta.[2] Basiswar Sen was a scientist and one of the favorite students of legendary scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. He was also a very close associate of Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita. Gertrude Emerson Sen died in 1982, aged 89. Her papers are with the Emerson family's papers at the New York Public Library.[4]

Sources
  • Girish N. Mehra, Nearer Heaven Than Earth—The Life and Times of Boshi Sen and Gertrude Emerson Sen, foreword by M.S. Swami. New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 2007.

References
  1. B. N. Tandon (2007). "Untitled [review of Nearer Heaven than Earth: The Life and Times of Boshi Sen and Gertrude Emerson Sen, by Girish Mehra]". Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. 51 (3 (239)): 199–203. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23340474.
  2. "Gertrude Emerson Wed in Calcutta; Author of "Voiceless India" Married to Basiswar Sen, Scientist, on Nov. 2". The New York Times. 1932-11-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  3. "Dr. Emerson Dead; Archaeologist, 84". The New York Times. 1943-10-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  4. "Gertrude Emerson Sen". Women in Exploration. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  5. "Obituary, Edith Emerson". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 23, 1981.
  6. "Globe Trottin' Lady Extraordinary". The Havre Daily News. 1929-07-14. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  7. "Asia's Expedition to the Orient". Asia and the Americas. 20: 754. 1920.
  8. "Shopping for a Year's Trip into an Asiatic Wilderness". New-York Tribune. 1920-08-15. p. 58. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  9. "Going into Orient. Mr. and Mrs. Donald Thomson on a Historical Expedition". The Topeka State Journal. 1920-07-10. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  10. "Editor of Asia Sails; Gertrude Emerson to Study Village Life in Remote India". The New York Times. 1926-08-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  11. "Asia Magazine Gets New Editors". The New York Times. 1941-12-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  12. Sen, Gertrude Emerson (1930). Voiceless India. Doubleday, Doran, Incorporated.
  13. Sen, Gertrude Emerson (1948). The Pageant of India's History. Longmans, Green.
  14. Sen, Gertrude Emerson (1965). Cultural Unity of India. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
  15. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.

See also
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