The Edith Rosenwald Stern Papers: Annabelle Bernard-Mercker
By: Ashanty Felipe, archive volunteer
Working with the archives has given me a more holistic approach to the world of Longue Vue founder Edith Stern. Edith was a woman that not only loved her community but also loved the arts in her community. My most compelling find was her relationship with Annabelle Bernard-Mercker, a local opera singer from New Orleans.
Annabelle Bernard started her career locally, but through her time in college and her relationship with Edith, she was able to pour into her career and find her way into the Berlin Symphony. In the archived letters, I realized the mentor relationship that Edith had with Annabelle. She believed in Annabelle’s passion for opera. She supported her financially in college and when she had to make her journey to Berlin. In her file, I also found cut-out articles talking about Annabelle’s accomplishments locally but also globally. It is moving to know that she took the time to cut out and keep mentions of someone that means so much to her.
Throughout, I was able to see that Edith kept the same sentiment of an honest and close relationship with other artists she invested in. She cultivated her life around art and wanted to support those that lived with a passion to create. She was not just an observer of art but engaged with art in all forms and wanted to see it thrive. For her, it was a way of life as art is all around her.
Editor’s note: Longue Vue is proud to announce the new Edith Rosenwald Stern Papers, with public access through the generosity of Sandra Stern McIver. This recently processed archival collection contains the files of Edith Rosenwald Stern, created by her secretary Vilma Schneydexer, from 1972 to 1980. Within these files are personal correspondences, business records, organizational memberships, financial records, and early Longue Vue institutional records. Processing this collection would not be possible without the generous work of our archive volunteers.
From the Archives
In Annabelle Bernard-Mercker’s Words
Oral Visual History Project
“When I think of Mrs. Stern personally, I think of her love for human beings. She loved the human element, that was the most important thing for Mrs. Stern: the contact with human beings, the love and understanding for your fellow man. …
“Mrs. Stern was always there, supportive. It wasn’t always necessarily financial because the friendship was more important at this time. … It was a friendship and I mean a friendship that was as close as relatives. The whole family was that way with me. …
“She would say sometimes when she would write me, ‘It’s all like a fairy tale; the only thing is, I don’t know if fairies have to work so hard,’ which was always a joke between us.
“When I think back and I think that sometimes, it wasn’t always encouraging to be in the opera world. It wasn’t always easy. It’s not supposed to be, but whenever I felt that I was going to throw in the towel, she would say—and it’s exactly right—’Now it’s a challenge,’ ‘Now it’s worth it.’ That was her attitude and then I found out that we had a lot in common.”