Henriette the China Painter

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I love all things, not only the grand but the infinitely small: thimble, spurs, plates, flower vases. - Pablo Neruda

A vase as exquisite as the arrangement one might put in it

Rudolph was not the only talented member of his family. In fact, his family was remarkably artistic. Music performance and composition, painting, flowers, and show dogs were all part of this family's repertoire. Henriette was a porcelain painter as this post will show. Miriam was a pianist who performed, taught and compose. Henry? He did a bit of all of this and that as well. First, a bit of family history.

Rudolph died in 1939 in Chicago. Henriette, Miriam and Henry moved to Almeda, California where they appeared in the 1940 census. It is not clear what brought them there but it must have been a family decision. Miriam was 24 and Henry was 19. Neither was yet married. Henry was working as a mechanic, possibly to help support the family. He would work as a mechanic for the rest of his life. He was no local garage mechanic though. He worked on aviation instruments for the US Army Air Corps at McClelland Airfield. The critical importance of his skills would become very apparent soon enough as Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan which just making apparent their intentions for conquest. Henry was drafted and served in England in the Air Corps. He was discharged at war's end. His name can be found on the World War II Memorial of Roseville, California. 

After the war, Miriam married Stanton Golding from Chicago but they made their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Henry married Doris Cash from Hannibal, Missouri in Sacramento, California. Doris' family knew well the sacrifices of World War II. Her brother SGT Donald Cash was an aircrewman killed in action over Germany when his plane was shot down. 

Henriette painted china, a lost art if ever there was one. Here is a selection of Henriette's work. 

Set of eight plates








Is it just me or does hand-painted china like this feel too nice on which to serve mashed potatoes and gravy before running through the Smart-Wash cycle? (But then, I eat half my meals on faded plastic Spongebob plates that my teenagers have outgrown but I'm too cheap to throw out.) Seriously though, our relationship with china isn't what it used to be. What was once a family heirloom is now viewed as potential clutter and a perplexing dilemma for younger generations. What to do with your mother's or grandmother's treasured china? There are articles on this guilt-ridden decision. Now imagine how bad that dilemma would be if your grandmother had painted it herself! I never knew Henriette and I feel kind of guilty about what is to become of it. Alas, neither Henry nor Miriam had children so at least the grandchildren-who-never-were were spared it. I just hope it finds its way into the hands of someone who will appreciate it.

Miriam talent, as I have said was music. The newspaper record shows that Miriam was a guest soloist for the Boston Women's Symphony concert series in Chicago at age eleven. At thirteen, she was performing concert worthy classical arrangements. She was a multi-instrumentalist playing orchestral base drums. She taught piano at the American Conservatory of Music. Here are some newspaper clips of Miriam.




Miriam, upper left, on drums.


Henry spent his working life as an air instrument mechanic. He and Doris made Sacramento, California their home. He was probably the most cultured mechanic that I have known of. He was trained in violin as a child. He grew chrysanthenums and raised show-quality French Bulldogs.

I have manage to obtain some pictures of the family courtesy of Doris' niece, Deb Cash Ingersoll. Deb and her family are the only family remaining for the Bohuneks.

Caroline Novotny (left) and Henriette Novotny (right). These are the Vokoun brother's cousins.

Miriam and Stanton Golding

Doris (Cash) and Henry Bohunek


Doris and Henry 90th birthday.

That is the end of my story of Jan Vokoun's sister, Marie, her daughter Henriette, and her grandchildren, the Bohuneks. As there are no descendants, I hope this blog will help keep their memory alive for they are a family that is surely worth remembering.

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