Summary

In her search for information into Mia's past, Mrs. Richardson began with Pauline Hawthorne (140). She learned that Pauline Hawthorne had been "a self taught genius, a feminist photographic pioneer, [and] a dynamic and generous intellect," but she could not find much information on her personal life, except "one interesting tidbit" (141) She taught photography at the New York School of Fine Arts. Mrs. Richardson followed this lead and found what she had been looking for. According to the school's registrar, a "Mia Wright" had attended the school in the fall of 1980, but "in the spring of 1981[, she] had requested... a leave of absence for the following academic year" (141). The registrar would not provide Mrs. Richardson with an address for Mia Wright, so she decided to "work the problem from the other end," and pursue Pearl for more leads (142).

Mrs. Richardson meticulously invited Pearl along...