#francesca vitale

[autistickirstenlarson]

Buon Natale from Francesca! 🎄

Francesca Vitale, one of my original characters, is an Italian girl in 1920s Pittsburgh. Having lost her mother in the 1918 flu pandemic and as the daughter of a hardworking steelworker, Francesca finds her voice and comfort in her close-knit Italian community.

For Christmas Eve she can’t wait to help Tia Zita cook up a surprise for her family and friends.

Francesca is a Ruthie doll but I’m planning to curl and bob her hair eventually. Her dress is from Donna’s Dollhouse on Etsy.

(When I first heard about Lila, I was excited— since I was a kid I always wanted an Italian-American doll though I hoped she’d be a historical. Of all my OCs, Francesca’s (and Karine’s) concept is most inspired by my family history.)

[wosocomix]

The Rossonere under the snow at Vismara.

[italynt]

Francesca Vitale, stealing one at the death | '93 | Milan vs Juve

[gaywoso]

Milan vs Pink Bari

[01/29/2020]

[autistickirstenlarson]

All my American Girl OCs

Héloise Cormier, an Acadian French girl in 1765, coping with her father’s death, who has recently moved to New Orleans, LA and loves animals, sewing, and playing the fiddle.

Reina Mendes, a Sephardi Jewish girl in 1834 Savannah, GA who dreams of traveling via steamboat across the country but struggles with the expected gender roles of the day.

Aoife Callaghan, an Irish girl who immigrates to Boston, MA during the Great Famine in 1846 who loves helping others and caring for children.

Minna Hoffmann, a German girl in 1889 Johnstown, PA, who has recently survived America’s deadliest flood and loves to play the piano.

Etta Mae Bradley, a half-Black and half-Mexican girl in Amarillo, TX in 1894 who wants to be a teacher but also loves helping on her family farm.

Francesca Vitale, a recent Italian immigrant in 1920 Pittsburgh, PA, who uses baking to cope with her mother’s death and father’s union hardships.

Honoka Oishi, a Japanese girl in 1949 who loves softball and helping in her family’s restaurant in Portland, OR’s, Japantown.

Chela Suarez, a recent arrival from Havana in 1962 Miami, FL, who finds pride in comic books and her Cuban heritage during the beginnings of one of the most tumultuous decades in US history.

Karine Bedrosian, an Armenian girl whose cousin was recently drafted in the Vietnam war, who dreams of being a poet and peace advocate in 1971 Chicago, IL.

[autistickirstenlarson]

Fashion inspiration for Francesca Vitale, an Italian immigrant girl in 1920-1921 Pittsburgh.

[autistickirstenlarson]

My book cover for Francesca Vitale. (Made with this dress up game. Background is Pittsburgh’s Strip District in the early 1900s.)

Book synopses:

Meet Francesca: Upon seeing modern designs in a department store, Francesca, a shy girl in Pittsburgh, wants to follow the latest trends by bobbing her hair. Can she be both a good Italian girl and a fashionable, modern American?

Francesca Learns a Lesson: Francesca’s English still needs improvement. She is assigned to help Antonietta, a girl from Naples, with her English. Though their Italian dialects and cultures differ, they share a common love for learning the English language and their new lives in America.

Francesca’s Surprise: Pappa has joined a union to campaign for higher wages in the steel mills, but the family is still far from well-off. She bakes up a surprise for her family and neighbors to spread the Christmas spirit.

Happy Birthday, Francesca!: When Francesca turns 12, her birthday is overshadowed by the solemnity of fasting for Good Friday. Come Easter Sunday, she is surprised with a feast!

Francesca Saves the Day: Pappa’s Union calls for a strike, and money is even tighter. When a neighbor’s grocery is vandalized following the guilty verdict of the Sacco-Vanzetti trial, Francesca stays resilient and proud of her Italian heritage and American identity.

Changes for Francesca: Union membership is falling as morale plummets and anti-union sentiment grows. Are things really going to improve for the Italian workers? Meanwhile, Francesca learns about the plight of black workers when she befriends Sylvie, the daughter of a black steelworker who has recently moved from the South to Pittsburgh.

[autistickirstenlarson]

American Girl Original Character: Francesca

Francesca Vitale • Pittsburgh, PA • 1920-1921

Francesca, 11, was born in Palermo, Sicily, but she and her mother and sisters emigrated in 1918, when Francesca was 9. Francesca’s father originally came to the United States in 1916 and the rest of the family joined him in Pittsburgh two years later. Francesca’s mother died of influenza in the global Flu pandemic in early 1919 and Francesca also caught the disease which weakened her respiratory system. She has two twin younger sisters— Gianna and Giulia. Francesca’s father works in the steel mills. Francesca loves school, where she and other immigrant children learn English, but she also loves to help her Tia Zita in the kitchen. Francesca wants to open up her own bakery when she is older.

However, anti-Italian sentiment is not uncommon, especially as Italians are labelled as anarchists and in Boston, the Sacco and Vanzetti trial seems to confirm some Americans’ prejudice. When Francesca’s father joins a steelworkers’ union that calls for a strike, she wants to support him in any way she can. Francesca is shy and has one close friend, a girl named Antonietta who shares her love of learning.

More info below:

Story Themes: Italian immigrants, prejudice + the first Red Scare, Pittsburgh’s steel industry + unions, finding your voice

Family: Mamma Lucia (deceased), Pappa Salvatore, Tia Zita (aunt- father’s sister), younger twin sisters Gianna + Giulia (6)

Best Friend: Antonietta “Netta” Bruno (11; her family is from Naples while Francesca’s is Sicilian.)

Francesca’s Appearance: Classic mold, medium light skin, mole under left eye, hazel eyes, black hair in a curly bob

(Of my OCs, Francesca is the most directly inspired by my family heritage, as my great-grandfather was also an Italian immigrant to Pittsburgh.)