Fannie Caldwell was born in Shelbyville, Kentucky to Judge James Lafayette and Mary Lettia (Middleton) Caldwell on November 22, 1863. Fannie and her husband lived on South Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky. Before becoming a writer she was a kindergarten teacher in Louisville from 1899 to 1902 but after her divorce she traveled abroad and became the "supervisor of normal classes, kindergartens, at Hiroshima, Japan, from 1902 to 1907".
During her time in Japan she wrote letters to her niece, Alice Hegan Rice. Alice decided to turn the letters into a book, after removing any personal details and creating the pseudonymous name of Frances Little by reversing Fannie's "family name 'Little Fan'". The title was inspired by the children that Fannie taught who called her their "Lady of the Decoration" every time that she "pinned on her little enameled watch". Fannie eventually returned to Kentucky and lectured on Japan and continued to write books after the success of The Lady of the Decoration.
On January 6, 1941 Fannie passed away due to influenza at the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. She was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
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Categories: United States, Authors | Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky | Notables