Painter.  Hamblett grew up on a farm in Lafayette County, Mississippi. She walked the mile to and from a small school in Paris in all weather. This became a big influence on her in later years, as she loved the beauty of nature. After graduating from school she became a teacher and taught in rural schools for over fifteen years. At the age of 44 she moved to Oxford and bought a Victorian home near the town square. She supported herself by renting rooms to University of Mississippi students. In 1950, at the age of 55, when the University of Mississippi began offering night classes for adults, she took her first art class. After that class she continued to study on her own, but didn’t return to class. She developed her own style using dots of many colors, described as a pointillist technique. She painted images of her childhood memories and the local countryside. She wrote, “I have so many memories of playing games under the trees when I was a young girl. When I became a teacher I still enjoyed watching children play, and often played with them.” She later used her art to express her religious visions. Theora was the first Mississippi artist to have her work exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. (bio by: Irma Hale)  Family links:  Parents:  Samuel Fielder Hamblet (1823 – 1905)  Tammie Sophia Cobb Hamblet (1857 – 1935)  Siblings:  James Brown Hamblett (1848 – 1941)**  Sarah Permelia Hamblet Ragland (1852 – 1875)**  William Fielder Hamblet (1853 – 1930)**  George Washington Hamblett (1857 – 1950)**  Joseph Warren Hamblet (1858 – 1858)**  Alice Adelia Hamblet (1866 – 1885)**  Edna Irene Hamblett King (1868 – 1958)**  Samuel Hubert Hamblett (1892 – 1971)*  Theora Alton Hamblett (1895 – 1977) *Calculated relationship**Half-sibling Inscription:”Miss Theora”