| Elisabeth Ellicott Poe | |
| Qid: | Q94291340 |
| Fetchwikidata: | ALL |
| Dateformat: | mdy |
| Vylla Poe Wilson | |
| Qid: | Q112055180 |
| Fetchwikidata: | ALL |
| Dateformat: | mdy |
Elisabeth "Bessie" Ellicott Poe (July 27, 1886-September 29, 1947)[1] [2] and Vylla Ellicott Poe Wilson (February 27, 1883-October 2, 1969) were journalists in Washington, DC. They sometimes collaborated on a woman's column under the name the Poe Sisters.
They were the daughters of inventor George Poe, Jr., a cousin of the poet Edgar Allan Poe.[3] For most of their lives, they worked for mostly Washington DC newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Washington Times-Herald, and King Features Syndicate, in a variety of editorial capacities, covering art, women's issues, and the White House.[4] [5] [6]
During World War I, the Poe sisters were organizers of the Women's Section of the Navy League and its training camp for women in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[7]
In 1933, Evalyn Walsh McLean, wife of Washington Post owner Edward Beale McLean, enlisted the sisters to briefly pawn the Hope Diamond on her behalf when she needed cash.[8]
Together, the Poe sisters published the books Edgar Allan Poe: A High Priest of the Beautiful and Half-Forgotten Romances of American History. In 1930, they started a magazine called The Stylus, named after the periodical Edgar Allan Poe was unable to create.[9] Both sisters were painters and exhibited their work locally. Elisabeth Poe exhibited more frequently and primarily painted watercolors.[10]