Mary Granville Delany: She Invented the Art of Mixed Media Collage at Age 71
At age 17, Mary Granville Delany was married off to a ogre who died and left her penniless seven years later. Yet at 43, she completely reinvented her life.
People Who Bloomed in Their Seventies
Ben Franklin: The Septuagenarian Who Helped Birth a Nation
He was a printer, statesman, activist, inventor, and diplomat. By 26, he was a best-selling author. Yet it didn’t pursue his true passion until his 70s when he helped found the United States.
Grandma Moses: This Doyenne of Outsider Art Didn’t Start Painting Until Age 78
“Painting’s not important. The important thing is keeping busy.” Grandma Moses acquired her wisdom from 101 years of living, the last 25 spent as an iconic painter.
Charles Perrault: How He Became Father of the Fairytale at age 69
Charles Perrault spent years as a loyal secretary for the government of King Louis XIV. After he retired, he transcribed his most prestigious work, Tales From Mother Goose.
How The F-Bomb Changed David Seidler’s Destiny
For fifty years, Seidler wanted to tell the story of fellow stutterer King George VI. A cancer diagnosis finally motivated him to do it. He beat cancer and won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at age 74.