Isobel Osbourne | |
|---|---|
 Osbornec. 1898 | |
| Born | Isobel Osbourne September 18, 1858 Indianapolis,Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 26, 1953 (aged 94) Santa Barbara,California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Isobel Strong, Isobel Field |
| Known for | Stepdaughter ofRobert Louis Stevenson |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Samuel Osbourne Fanny Van de Grift |
| Relatives | Lloyd Osbourne (brother) |
Isobel "Belle" Osbourne Strong Field (September 18, 1858 – June 26, 1953) was a writer and the daughter ofFanny Stevenson and sister ofLloyd Osbourne. Through her mother's second marriage, she was a stepdaughter ofRobert Louis Stevenson.
Osbourne was born inIndianapolis to Samuel andFanny Van de Grift Osbourne.[1] She married the artistJoseph Dwight Strong (1853–1899) in 1879, and had a son, Joseph Austin Strong (1881–1952) who later became a successful playwright.[1] A second son was born to the Strongs, but he died before his first birthday.[citation needed] Belle and her family lived in Hawaii from 1883 to 1889.[2] She designed theRoyal Order of the Star of Oceania in 1886 for King Kalakaua and was one of the few women to be awarded the honor.[3][4]
Belle and her family moved toVailima, Samoa, in May 1891 with her mother and step-father. There she was Robert Louis Stevenson's literary assistant transcribing his words when he was too ill to write.[5] Her husband Joseph Strong had a drinking problem and Belle divorced him in 1892.[1]
In 1914, she married her mother's secretary (and possibly lover; Robert Louis Stevenson had died in 1894), the younger journalistEdward Salisbury Field, six months after her mother died.[1] Field was only three years older than her son Austin. When oil was discovered on property owned by Field they became wealthy.[6] In 1926 Field purchasedZaca Lake and surrounding land in theFigueroa Mountains nearLos Olivos, California.[7]
Isobel built an artists' studio there and the Field home became a popular meeting place for writers and actors.[8] Isobel and her brother Lloyd wrote about Robert Louis Stevenson and their experiences in Samoa inMemories of Vailima (1902). Later Isobel wrote her memoirs in two booksThis Life I've Loved (1937) andA Bit of My Life (1951).
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