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Gwain Noot Sexton

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Canadian-born American author, illustrator, visual artist, fashion designer (1909–2007)

Gwain Noot Sexton
Portrait of Gwain Noot Sexton (n.d., before 1942), by James M. Redmond
BornGwain Harriette Noot
June 11, 1909
British Columbia, Canada
DiedFebruary 5, 2007(2007-02-05) (aged 97)
Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County, California, United States
EducationArt Students League of Los Angeles
Occupation(s)Children's book author, illustrator, visual artist, fashion designer
Spouse(s)Fred Sexton (m. 1932–1960s; divorced)
Children1

Gwain Noot Sexton (née Gwain Harriette Noot; 1909–2007) was a Canadian-born American children's book author, illustrator, visual artist, and fashion designer. She lived in Los Angeles County for most of her life.

Early life

Gwain Harriette Noot was born on June 11, 1909, in British Columbia, Canada. She was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and attended the Model School in Vancouver.

She studied at the Art Students League of Los Angeles, where she met Fred Sexton. The couple married in June 1932, and briefly relocated to France after the marriage. Together they had one daughter. During her time at the Art Students League of Los Angeles, she also met painter James M. Redmond, who painted her portrait in oils.

Career

Her husband Fred Sexton was a witness in the 1949 incest trial of his friend Dr. George Hill Hodel, who was charged by LAPD with multiple counts of sexual abuse with his minor daughter, Tamar. Sexton later admitted his own involvement in the Hodel abuse case, and he took a plea agreement in exchange for his testimony against Dr. Hodel.

Sexton published her first children's book, Maxmilian the Unmerry; There Once Was a King (1959, Charles Scribner's Sons), which she both wrote and illustrated. The story is written in rhyme and is about a unpredictable king named Maxmilian, a wishing stone, and a mouse. Her book was reviewed by The New York Times, the Publishers Weekly, and other newspapers.

Her husband Fred started an importing business of folk art in Mexico in the early 1960s. She joined him in Mexico in 1963, and together they collaborated with local designer Tachi Castillo (1918–1999) on designing Bohemian-style folk dresses, which were imported to the United States. Fred divorced her sometimes in the mid-1960s, and remarried Italian-born artist Gemma Taccogna. Sexton continued her apparel business under the name Gwain Sexton after their divorce, and into the 1970s; and she highlighted in her designs Mexican lace and ruffles. She died on February 5, 2007, in Redondo Beach, California.

Publications

  • Sexton, Gwain (1959). Maxmilian the Unmerry; There Once Was a King. Gwain Sexton (illustrator). New York City, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.

References

  1. "Model School Class Leaders in October". The Province. November 11, 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Marriage". The Los Angeles Times. 1932-06-07. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "A Seed of Modernism: The Art Students League of Los Angeles, 1906-53; texts by Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick and Julia Armstrong-Totten". Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO). Pasadena Museum of California Art. 2008. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  4. "Prosecution Witness Held in Hodel Hearing". The Los Angeles Times. October 15, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Dr. Hodel in defense against his daughter's incest charge". Daily News. December 21, 1949. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Maxmilian the Unmerry; There Once Was a King. By Gwain Sexton. Illustrated by the author. Unpaged. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. $2.50. For Ages 5 to 7". The New York Times. October 4, 1959. p. 173.
  7. "New Books for Children". Berkeley Gazette. August 19, 1959. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-01-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "New Colorful Picture-Story Books Have Most Intriguing Titles". The Jackson Sun. August 23, 1959. p. 33. Retrieved 2025-01-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ The Publishers Weekly. Vol. 176. F. Leypoldt. 1960. p. 93 – via Google Books.
  10. Livingstone, Evelyn (May 7, 1973). "For parties this summer the overall mood is romantic. Guess what's back again? Ruffles". Chicago Tribune. p. 48. ISSN 1085-6706. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Chipman, Victoria (April 16, 1968). "Paper Wraps Up Success". The Daily Breeze. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-01-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Fun in the Sun". The Los Angeles Times. January 5, 1969. p. 406. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  13. "Gwain Sexton". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. May 16, 1976. p. 33. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
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