Ode to Barbara Jean Day: The âRealâ Morticia Addams
Photo: Barbara c. 1948 | Credit: George Silk
First appearing in The New Yorker in 1938, the family that would become the Addamses transitioned flawlessly from print, to television, to the silver screenâtaking off like bats out of cave. And like a Gomez or a Fester, creator Charles Addams was an oddball character, and kept oddball company. While his biographer and many others would attest to Charles being âa well-dressed, courtly man with silvery back-combed hair and a gentle mannerâ, he was also a quirky Casanova, having been romantically linked to the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Joan Fontaine, and the elusive Greta Garbo. But the woman who most leaves an impact on the Addams legacy is that of his first wife, Barbara Jean Day.
Barbara Jean Day was born on July 7th, 1919, in Chicago. âI think her Midwestern roots are an important element of who she was. She was direct, and down to earth, and always maintained an understated skepticism towards material excess, cultural elitism, towards any kind of snobbery, reallyâ writes her daughter, Dr. Brook Hersey, in her 2008 eulogy to her mother. Barbara was a thin woman of olive complexion, framed by long almost-black hair. Her general laid-back, effortlessly sharp âHawksian Womanâ style as captured in the 1940s, and her dark, mysterious features must have been a huge draw for Charles, as well as her brilliant mindâshe was president of her high schoolâs math club, and had a natural talent for complex word games.
Charles Addams drew up Morticia for the first time in 1933, and the family of Addamses were published five years later, uprooting the long-standing myth that Barbara was the inspiration for the cartoon. After graduating college, Barbara worked and lived in New Jersey (where Mr. Addams hailed from) and she met Charles in late 1942, travelling on the train from Westfield. After she took time off work to attend his motherâs funeral, Charles got serious about Barbara. In her he had found (or so he thought) the real-life equivalent of his cartoon dream woman. Empathic but stoic; friendly but honest; beautiful and brilliant. Barbara was 23 and Charles was 30 when they married, four months after his motherâs funeral.
Photo: Barbara posing for LIFE Magazine (1948)
As The New Yorkerâs star cartoonist, Chas Addams was featured in numerous magazine articles documenting the life of an artist, and Barbara played the role as muse. In a now famous LIFE Magazine spread Charles poses around town with Barbaraâthe most prolific photo being that of Charles supposedly sketching her for another Morticia comic. This photo was staged. Their marriage, although seemingly fun, spontaneous, and loving in photograph, accented by strange household objects and vintage cars, was marred by alleged womanizing, and ended after eight long years because unlike Gomez Addams, Charles Addams despised children and Barbara wanted some.
In the years following their marriage, Charles spoke fondly of Barbara. Perhaps she was the one who got away, as his next two marriages, one to another Barbara that was unsuccessful, and one to Marilyn âTeeâ Miller which lasted until his death, saw him still seeking out gothic women, and living out a sort of quirky, Addams Family-like persona. However, of all three women Barbara Jean Day arguably looked the most like the publicâs favorite spooky mother, adding to the current general fascination with her story. She wasnât so fond of the cartoon comparisons however, and sought to change up her image, and distance herself from the Addamsâ legacy by cutting her long locks, sporting a page-boy style. Barbara eventually would marry fellow New Yorker colleague John Hersey in 1958, author of the book Hiroshima, have her only child, daughter Brook, and remain with John until his death in 1993. Brook describes her mother as having unending patience and excessive modesty, but fun-loving. Barbara made friends wherever she went, and that ability to connect so easily with others made the Hersey home a popular place to be. Like Morticia, she was âthe real head of the familyâ.Â
Photo: Barbara and John Hersey on their wedding day (1958) | Credit: historicalimages.com
A cancer survivor, towards the end of her life Barbara was never short of company. She lived between two homes, one in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, and a vacation home in Key West, Florida (a lover of the sun âand often quite tanâ), and frequently held get-togethers. Barbara died at home in Massachusetts, on August 20th, 2007, at 88 years old. She is survived by her daughter Brook Hersey and Brookâs husband Alexander DeLuca; her granddaughter Violet DeLuca; her stepchildren Martin, John, Ann and Baird Hersey; and the imagery and impact of Morticia Addams.Â
Charles and Barbara at the 1951 Bridgehampton Races | Credit: vanderbiltcupraces.com
Barbara and Charles Addams for LIFE Magazine (1948)
Barbara on a trip to Europe (1949) | Credit: Chas Addams: A Cartoonists Life by Linda H. Davis
Many, many thanks to Dr. Brook Hersey for providing me with the eulogy she wrote for her mother, and correcting factual errors.
Copyright Serene Pristine Š
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