Elizabeth Moorhead Vermorcken (c. 1865 – June 2, 1955) ^[1] was an American writer from Pittsburgh. She is best known for her novels set in Pittsburgh. ^[2] She generally wrote under her maiden name, Elizabeth Moorhead. ^[1] During her lifetime, she was considered Pittsburgh's foremost female author. ^[3]

Early life

Moorhead was born in Pittsburgh. Her exact birthdate is not known, but was just after the end of the American Civil War in 1865. ^[1] Moorhead's father, William J. Moorhead, owned a steel mill, and her grandfather, James Kennedy Moorhead, was a congressman. ^{[1] [4] [5]} Moorhead was educated at a private boarding school in Philadelphia. After graduation, she learned to speak French after a winter in Paris. ^[1] She married the Belgian artist Frederick Vermorcken in 1891, but the marriage ended sometime between 1894 and 1895, at which point Moorhead returned to America. ^[1] Between her marriage in 1891 and her return to Pittsburgh in 1910, she lived in Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. ^[4]

From 1910 to 1928, she taught English at Carnegie Technical Schools (now known as Carnegie Mellon University). ^{[1] [2]} Not much is known about her personal life during these years. She is known to have published a number of articles and short stories in various magazines, including Harper's, Scribner's, and Century. ^{[1] [5]} She was a well-regarded speaker on literary subjects. ^[6] She retired from teaching in 1928. ^[7]

Writing career

After her retirement, Moorhead transitioned from short stories to novels. In 1929, she published her first novel, Clouded Hills. ^[5] A reviewer for The New York Times wrote that "Miss Moorhouse has done well for her first novel. Perhaps with time she will strengthen her hand." ^[8] Her second novel, Answer Before Dark, was published in 1930. A review in The Washington Post described her writing in Answer Before Dark and in Clouded Hills, as having, "a delicacy of diction which is very charming." ^{[9] [10]} Her third novel, The Forbidden Tree, was published in 1933. ^[2] All three stories are set in Pittsburgh and although they were not autobiographical, often drew inspiration from Moorhead's life. ^[2]

Moorhead moved to Florence, Italy, in 1933, after the onset of the Great Depression. ^{[7] [11]} During her time in Italy, she began to write a history of Pittsburgh based on her family records. ^{[1] [11]} She fled back to Pittsburgh in November 1940 after Italy joined World War II, leaving the majority of her possessions behind. ^[11] In Pittsburgh, she continued work on the book, eventually published in 1942 by the University of Philadelphia Press as Whirling Spindle. ^[7]

Her final book, These Too Were Here: Louise Homer and Willa Cather, was published in 1950, also by the University of Philadelphia Press. ^[12] It was a short reminisce about the early life of Pittsburgh novelist Willa Cather. ^{[12] [12]} Although it became the basis of many biographies of Cather, later reviewers have described it as "highly romanticized" and have questioned its accuracy. ^[1]

Moorhead died in Pittsburgh on June 2, 1955. ^[1]

Bibliography

• Clouded Hills (1929, Bobbs Merrill) ^[5]
• Answer Before Dark (1930, Bobbs Merrill) ^[10]
• The Forbidden Tree (1933, Bobbs Merrill) ^[2]
• Whirling Spindle (1942, University of Philadelphia Press) ^[7]
• These Too Were Here: Louise Homer and Willa Cather (1950, University of Philadelphia Press) ^[1]

References

External links

• Works by or about Elizabeth Moorhead Vermorcken at Wikisource