THE DOYLES

Thanks to Daniel Bader, here's a photo of Clara Bader Doyle, founder of  the other branch of California Baders.

Clara Barton Bader, born in Fremont, NE, 1898, was the youngest daughter of Jacob R. and Emma Bader, and Carl George's youngest sister. In 1921, she was studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. This portrait is dated 1923, when she was 25 years old.

In 1925, Clara married Thomas F. Doyle in Omaha, NE. Their first two children, Thomas (Tommy) and Sheila, were both born in Omaha, in 1925 and 1927, respectively. But by 1929, when daughter Sally was born, the family had moved west to Oakland, CA. Two more children., Millicent (born 1931) and Jerome (born 1932) were born in Oakland. Another daughter, Carlotta Ann, died in infancy.

Clara Bader Doyle was an artist, and a member of several Bay Area art and watercolor associations. Here's a link to a watercolor portrait of a friend that she painted in 1940.

This is the only image of her work I've been able to find on the web so far, but I did find this wonderful childhood photo that her granddaughter, Catherine Doyle Sullivan, posted to the Ask/Art website.

Catherine Doyle Sullivan, of Arcata, CA, is the daughter of Tommy Doyle and La Verne Heisen. Catherine is also an artist.

Sheila Doyle married Arthur J. Tormey in Oakland in 1947. Their daughter, Carlotta Ann Tormey, of Placerville, CA, is also a commercial artist. Here's her website

(Big thanks to Carlotta for sending Daniel the photo of Clara, above, which he sent to me.) 

Here are some photos of the Doyles out of Barbara's collection. That's Thomas Doyle in the center, with daughters Sally (left) and Sheila (holding the cat, right). They are flanked by Manley Christensen (extreme left), his wife, Alma Bader Christensen (Carl George's sister, right of Sheila) and Emma Elsner Bader (extreme right), who was Alma's mother, Thomas' mother-in-law, and grandmother to the Doyle children.

And here again is Alma, her nephew, Tommy Doyle, and matriarch Emma Elsner Bader. Judging from the age of the Doyle kids, I date these photos around 1940-1942-ish.


Absent from these photos is Clara Doyle. Maybe she wasn't on this trip back east to visit the relatives, or maybe she was holding the camera? But the fact is, I've never seen any pictures of Clara before now.

Thanks, Daniel!