The Bacillus of Beauty

Harriet Stark was born in Payson, Utah Territory, in the United States of America on September 23, 1868, daughter of Daniel Stark and Anna Piscilla Beckenhead. She married Lewis William Barry Wride on May 18, 1897 in Logan, Utah, and by the time of the 1900 release of The Bacillus of Beauty, she, her husband, and four daughters were living in Payson on a farm. Eventually, they had eleven children, though two died within a year of being born. 

Her only known speculative fiction work was The Bacillus of Beauty, originally published in 1900 by Frederick A. Stokes Company in New York City.

George Frederic Watts was born in Marylebone, Middlesex, England on February 23, 1817. At the age of ten, he showed artistic aptitude, so he began training with the sculptor William Behnes. When he was 18, he enrolled at the Royal Academy. He closely studied the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum, learning much from them.

After winning an art competition, he studied in Florence, Italy from 1843–1847 before returning to London. After having little success in finding a building where he could create a large fresco, he spent most of the rest of his career working in oils. He married the actress Ellen Terry (the subject of Choosing) a few days shy of her 17th birthday in 1864. Ten months after the marriage, Terry eloped with another man and Watts requested a divorce. The divorce didn’t take effect until 1877, however. 

Watts remarried in 1886 to Mary Fraser Tytler—a Scottish designer and potter—and they build a home named Limnerslease near Compton in Surrey. While married, they worked on a number of projects together, including the Watts Mortuary Chapel in Compton and the Watts Gallery. The latter was the first gallery in England to be built and devoted to a single artist. Today, it is the only such gallery still operating. Watts painted a version of his painting, The All-Pervading, for the chapel, completing it only three months prior to his death.

Queen Victoria twice offered him the title of Baronet, but he refused both times. Watts was made a member of the Royal Academy in 1867, and he was named one of the original recipients of the new Order of Merit. The latter was awarded to him by King Edward VII at a ceremony on August 8, 1902.

Watts died in London on July 1, 1904, at the age of 87.

Joe Monson worked at many different jobs before trying his hand at writing and editing fiction. 

He edits the LTUE Benefit Anthologies series with Jaleta Clegg: Trace the Stars (2019), A Dragon and Her Girl (2020), Twilight Tales (2021), and Parliament of Wizards (2022), and the forthcoming A Hero of a Different Stripe (2023) and Troubadours and Space Princesses (2024). 

Joe edited the A Universe of Stories anthology (2021) and all of the works in the Legacy of the Corridor publication series, and has other projects in the works. He is currently working on the first book in a space opera adventure novel series. He collects science fiction and fantasy art, but not as much as Paul (as if that was even possible). He lives in the tops of the mountains with his lovely and talented wife, their three amazing children, and their pet library.

Learn more at joemonson.com.