Jerry and Elizabeth Matejka met on a boat traveling from Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic, to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1907. To pursue their dreams in America, Jerry and Elizabeth traveled halfway around the world and joined the ranks of the idealistic, hardworking immigrants flocking to the United States in the early twentieth century. Strangers at the beginning of the voyage, the two young lovers were inseparable upon arrival in America, and they married soon after their boat docked in the Maryland harbor. The Matejkas is the remarkable true story of these two determined pioneers and their life together as they started a business and raised a family in their new homeland.

Told from the loving perspective of their daughter Slava Matejka Mowll, "The Matejkas" is a compelling family biography brought alive by vivid narrative and the imagery of beautifully preserved family photographs. From the Matejkas' early days in Baltimore to the intense drama of the Second World War, the author's memoir is a fascinating view of the life experiences of first-generation Americans.

An unforgettable true saga, "The Matejkas" is a story of persistence and triumph told against the backdrop of one of the most important eras in American history.

One of the few women Impressionists, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) had a life of paradoxes: American born, she lived and worked in France; a classically trained artist, she preferred the company of radicals; never married, she painted exquisite and beloved portraits of mothers and children. This book provides new insight into the personal life and artistic endeavors of this extraordinary woman. "Brilliant, lively life of long lived American Impressionist."-Kirkus Reviews "Rich in historical and archeological detail, thoroughgoing in its resurrection of the contexts and conditions of Cassatt's life as an artist."-Carol Armstrong, New York Times Book Review "Mathews informatively and entertainingly documents Cassatt's tumultuous relations with various members of both the American and Parisian avant-garde. . . . An impressive biography."-Siri Huntoon, New York Newsday "A superb piece of scholarship."-Ruth Johnstone Wales, Christian Science Monitor "In this admirable biography, art historian Mathews . . . presents a compelling portrait of this contradictory woman."-Publishers Weekly "Authoritative, unsentimental, clear as a bell, this is a model of the new biography by and about talented women."-Kennedy Fraser "This will probably be the definitive biography for our generation."-John Wilmerding, Princeton University

Jerry and Elizabeth Matejka met on a boat traveling from Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic, to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1907. To pursue their dreams in America, Jerry and Elizabeth traveled halfway around the world and joined the ranks of the idealistic, hardworking immigrants flocking to the United States in the early twentieth century. Strangers at the beginning of the voyage, the two young lovers were inseparable upon arrival in America, and they married soon after their boat docked in the Maryland harbor. The Matejkas is the remarkable true story of these two determined pioneers and their life together as they started a business and raised a family in their new homeland.

Told from the loving perspective of their daughter Slava Matejka Mowll, "The Matejkas" is a compelling family biography brought alive by vivid narrative and the imagery of beautifully preserved family photographs. From the Matejkas' early days in Baltimore to the intense drama of the Second World War, the author's memoir is a fascinating view of the life experiences of first-generation Americans.

An unforgettable true saga, "The Matejkas" is a story of persistence and triumph told against the backdrop of one of the most important eras in American history.