Janish, Jeanne R., 1902-1998

Jeanne Russell Janish was born on October 20, 1902 in Marshall, Iowa. She spent her early years in St. Louis, Missouri, where her father, Francis Wayland Russell (1865-1962), was a Presbyterian minister. Janish attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, her mother Lucile's alma mater, and graduated in 1924 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa with a major in Latin and a minor in geology. After graduation, she entered Stanford University, graduating in 1926 as the first woman to receive a Master of Arts degree in geology from the institution. While in school, Stanford paleontologist James Perrin Smith noticed Jeanne's creative abilities and encouraged her to study scientific illustration. Her career led her to illustrate thirty-two major scientific manuscripts, several field guides, and numerous scientific articles.

In 1929, Jeanne left for China on a visit, but stayed to work as a rug designer for her cousin Helen Fette at the latter's Fette-Li Rug Company, detailing her experiences at the company in her diaries. She met Carl F. Janish, a former United States Marine working for the New York Times in Beijing, and the couple married in late 1929. In 1934, the Janishes returned to the United States.

The couple spent seven years in California, where Jeanne worked as a freelance illustrator and Carl ran a summer camp, before making several moves around the country in the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1952, the couple settled in Carson City, Nevada for a short time before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. Carl Janish, a professional engineer, worked as a contractor at the Nevada Test Site and the Clark County Library District, while Jeanne pursued her career as an illustrator and focusing on local botany.

Jeanne Russell Janish died in Las Vegas on February 4, 1998.

Source:

"Jeanne Russell Janish." Women in Nevada History. Accessed March 26, 2019. https://www.womennvhistory.com/portfolio/jeanne-russel-janish/