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Priam

(Encyclopedia)Priam prīˈəm [key], in Greek mythology, king of Troy during the Trojan War, son of Laomedon. Priam had several wives and was the father of 50 sons and many daughters. His chief wife, Hecuba, bore h...

Scudder, Janet

(Encyclopedia)Scudder, Janet, 1873–1940, American sculptor, b. Terre Haute, Ind., studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, with Lorado Taft at the Art Institute of Chicago, and in Paris. Her fountains and other ...

illiteracy

(Encyclopedia)illiteracy, inability to meet a certain minimum criterion of reading and writing skill. Throughout most of history most people have been illiterate. In feudal society, for example, the ability to re...

Drouais, François-Hubert

(Encyclopedia)Drouais, François-Hubert fräNswäˈ-übârˈ dro͞oāˈ [key], 1727–75, French painter, a follower of François Boucher, whose style he imitated. Under the patronage of the court he painted portra...

Cox, Louise Howland King

(Encyclopedia)Cox, Louise Howland King, 1865–1945, American painter, b. San Francisco. She studied at the National Academy of Design and at the Art Students League, New York, under Kenyon Cox. whom she married in...

Estrées, Gabrielle d'

(Encyclopedia)Estrées, Gabrielle d' gäbrēĕlˈ dĕstrāˈ [key], 1573–99, famous beauty, mistress (1592–99) of Henry IV of France, who made her marquise of Monceaux and duchess of Beaufort. She divorced her ...

Hemans, Felicia Dorothea (Browne)

(Encyclopedia)Hemans, Felicia Dorothea (Browne) hĕmˈənz [key], 1793–1835, English poet. She married Capt. Alfred Hemans in 1812, had five children, and separated from him in 1818. Although she wrote much mild ...

Lofting, Hugh

(Encyclopedia)Lofting, Hugh, 1886–1947, American writer of juvenile stories, b. Maidenhead, England. He settled in the United States in 1912. His famous “Dr. Dolittle” stories, which concern an extraordinary ...

Lions International

(Encyclopedia)Lions International, organization of business and professional people, founded (1917) by Melvin Jones. The International Association of Lions Clubs (popularly known as Lions International) is devoted ...

Aakjaer, Jeppe

(Encyclopedia)Aakjaer, Jeppe yĕpˈə ôkˈyâr [key], 1866–1930, Danish poet and novelist. He wrote mostly of his native Jutland, and his concern for the poor is reflected in such novels as The Peasant's Son (18...