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Description
Portrait of Florence Rock, the daughter of John Rock, age 8. She is presented in full length view, leaning against what may be a tomb, wearing a white satin and lace dress, and black shoes. Exhibited in 1978 as part of "19th Century San Jose Portraits" in the Pacific Hotel, History Park, with the following label: Florence Rock's father, John Rock, was one of California's leading horticulturists. Known and respected by Luther Burbank, Rock was responsible for adapting the French prune to the soil and climate of the Santa Clara Valley. In 1875 John Rock married Barbara Steiger and built a large home for her on Coyote Creek north of San Jose. It was here that Florence was born on July 12, 1882. After Mr. Rock's death, Barbara Rock married Henry Victors. Mr. Victors was a Mormon, and Florence and her mother became interested in that faith. They were baptized in 1904. The Victors often held large gatherings in their home and invited Mormons from all over the Valley. This was how Florence met J. Winter Smith, an engineering student at Stanford. They were married in Salt Lake in 1910 and went to live in Hawaii where Florence had been called to do missionary work. Her husband worked for the government at Pearl Harbor. Both were interested in travel and returned to the Unived States in 1912 by going the rest of the way around the world. The Smiths settled in Utah where they were active members of the Mormon Church. Because they had no children of their own they spent a great deal of time working with youth groups. In 1941 Florence was seriously injured in a car accident and was gradually forced to become less active. She died in 1956.
Type
image
Format
Oil on Canvas
Identifier
64694F93-9994-416F-BFE0-333514370530 1976-34
Subject
Portrait paintings Girls Tombs & sepulchral monuments Nineteenth century Mormons--California Missionaries Rock, Florence
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