Farah Sprague

Farah Sprague
Farahangiz Sprague, from a 1915 publication
Born
Farahangiz Khanum

December 7, 1891
Isfahan, Qajar Iran (now Iran)
DiedJune 22, 1967 (age 75)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesFarah Anguize Sprague
Occupation(s)Lecturer, writer, hostess
SpouseSydney Robinson Sprague

Farahangiz Sprague (December 7, 1891 – June 22, 1967)[1] was a Persian-born American writer, lecturer and cultural hostess, based in Los Angeles.

Early life

Sprague was from Isfahan, Qajar Iran,[2][3] the daughter of Mírzá Asadu’llah Isfahani and Raziah Khanum.[4] Her father was a poet[5] and a philosopher,[4] and her brother Aminu'llah Fareed was a translator for Bahá'i leader ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; both her father and brother traveled in the United States to work with American Bahá'is, and settled in the United States after they were dismissed from the Bahá'i Faith in 1914.[4]

Career

Sprague was known as a lecturer[6][7][8] and playwright.[9] She spoke on a panel of suffragists for peace in San Francisco in 1915.[10][11] She and her husband gave a presentation on Omar Khayyam at the Ebell Club in Los Angeles in 1916.[12] As co-producer of a play, The Hotel Imperial, in 1928, she was involved in years of legal battles with an actress, Olga Zacsek, over a salary dispute.[13] She spoke on Persian art to the Redlands Contemporary Club in 1932,[14] and to the Women Painters of the West in 1936, at a meeting in Barnsdall Park.[15]

Sprague hosted a large annual Nowrooz celebration at her home.[16][17] In 1942, the event featured entertainment provided by Lynden Behymer, George Wilton Ballard, and Yascha Borowsky, and a diverse guest list including Edmund Goulding, Robert Walker Kenny, Carla Laemmle, Mariska Aldrich, and Charles Wakefield Cadman.[18] In 1952, she hosted a dinner at her home, for Iranian officials visiting California.[19] That same year, she spoke about her childhood memories of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, to an audience at a rented dance hall, because there was no mosque in Los Angeles at the time.[20]

Publications

  • Wedding Presents (1928, a one-act play, with Sydney R. Sprague)[9]
  • The Producer (1929, a three-act comedy, with Sydney R. Sprague)[9]

Personal life

Farahangiz married American educator Sydney Robinson Sprague in 1910, in Haifa, with her parents' approval, and with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá present for the wedding ceremony.[3][21] They had a son, Howard, born in Egypt.[22] She designed their home in Los Angeles.[2] Her husband died in 1943,[23] and she died in 1967, at the age of 75, in Los Angeles.[24]

References

  1. ^ Sprague gave various years of birth in sources; these dates are her birth and death dates as shown in the California Death Index, via Ancestry.
  2. ^ a b Lindsey, Estelle Lawton (1921-09-20). "1st Persian Woman to Unveil; Mrs. Sprague Rejoices in L.A. Freedom". Los Angeles Evening Express. pp. 19, 24. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Bauman, Ursula (1958-06-02). "Farah Sprague Blends Ways of America, Ancient Persia". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Setting Sun Homeland Calls; Aged Persian Philosopher Plans Tour". The Los Angeles Times. 1928-10-27. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "The Daily Round of Society". The Morning Press. 1921-12-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Persian Talk in Persian Lounge". The Morning Press. 1932-07-24. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Foreign Food Situation Acute; Visitor of Redondo Beach Gives Interesting News Concerning Condition". The Redondo Reflex. 1917-10-12. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Sprague Noted Travelers Visit in Palo Alto". The Peninsula Times Tribune. 1915-05-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c Library of Congress Copyright Office (1929). Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, at Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 47, 52.
  10. ^ "Urge Suffrage to End Wars". The San Francisco Examiner. 1915-04-29. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Ardent Suffragette from Far Off Persia; Speaks on Subject of World Peace". The Long Beach Telegram and The Long Beach Daily News. 1915-04-28. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-03-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Omar Khayyam Interpreted at Ebell Yesterday". The Long Beach Telegram and The Long Beach Daily News. 1916-05-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Ex-Actress in Court as Defendant". The Los Angeles Times. 1930-04-10. p. 34. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Contemporary Club Will Have Luncheon". The San Bernardino County Sun. 1932-11-05. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-03-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Women Painters Told Shah's Work in Persian Art Behalf". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1936-02-10. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Hennessey, Eileen (1926-03-22). "Persian New Year is Celebrated by L.A. Family in Customs, Ceremonies of their Native Country". Los Angeles Evening Express. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-03-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Bowen, Marion (1942-03-20). "Invitations Issued for Persian New Year". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "L.A. notables attend Persian New Year fete; Two weeks planning required". Daily News. 1942-03-30. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "U.S. Schools Win Praise of Iranians". The Los Angeles Times. 1952-04-13. p. 31. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Moslems Note Sacred Fasts of Ramadan". The Los Angeles Times. 1952-06-25. p. 28. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Marriage of Mr. Sydney Sprague and Farahangiz Khanum" (PDF). Bahai News. 1 (12): 7. October 16, 1910.
  22. ^ Wilcox, Grace (1915-12-21). "Only Persian to Wed American Man Here with Spouse". Los Angeles Evening Express. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Funeral today for Sidney R. Sprague". Daily News. 1943-08-18. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-03-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Sprague, Farah Anguize (death notice)". The Los Angeles Times. 1967-06-25. p. 42. Retrieved 2025-03-15 – via Newspapers.com.
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