Artist Statement.
I chose Fran Dalton as my subject for the NBPT Portrait Show
because she was a central figure in the local arts community (photographer) for
many years who went through a very public sex change in her 50s, Fran Dalton
lived in Newburyport most of her life and died at the age of 81. She deserves to be included in any event that
endeavors to showcase community members who make up the fabric of Newburyport.
Newburyport takes much pride in the colorful people who have
lived here and shaped its personality. Fran Dalton is among them, a friend to
many, and a charitable person who helped the homeless. He lived on a boat at Charley Powers' boatyard
and he and Connie Van Swearingen ( Van Ess) were immersed in Newburyport's
thriving counterculture in the 70s, which celebrated individualism, diversity
and even eccentricity
Dalton's life changed when Connie, his companion of many
years, died at age 55. The changes in Frank's appearance noted by his friends
culminated in his very public decision to change his gender and name — from
Frank to Fran — in the 1980s. It was a decision that garnered much attention at
the time.
She spent most of her life as Frank Dalton, a tall, lean man
with craggy features, a deep voice and long salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in
a ponytail. The entire town accepted her for the woman she was.
Her story has been aptly told through a retrospective
exhibit at the local Library.
Mary Pyche
Submitted March 5, 2014
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