author
Mary Schell Hoke Bacon
1870–1934
A journalist, playwright, and children's author, she wrote lively books that opened the worlds of art, music, and opera to young readers. Her work blends clear teaching with a storyteller’s feel for drama and character.
2 Audiobooks
Pictures Every Child Should Know A Selection of the World's Art Masterpieces for Young People
by Mary Schell Hoke Bacon
About the author
Born Mary Schell Hoke in Atchison, Kansas, in 1870, she later became widely known as Dolores Bacon. She worked in several creative fields over the course of her life, including acting, journalism, playwriting, and authorship, and built a reputation for making cultural subjects approachable for general readers.
She is especially remembered for educational books for children such as Pictures Every Child Should Know and Operas Every Child Should Know. These books introduced young audiences to major paintings, composers, and stage works in a friendly, narrative style that aimed to spark curiosity rather than overwhelm.
Bacon died in 1934. While not as famous today as some of her contemporaries, her books remain notable examples of early twentieth-century writing that tried to bring the arts within reach of younger readers.