Alice B. Toklas

Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American writer, art collector, and memoirist who became a central figure in early twentieth-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life. Born in San Francisco, Alice moved to Paris in 1907 where she met Gertrude Stein, the experimental modernist writer, beginning a romantic partnership and collaborative relationship that lasted over thirty years until Stein's death in 1946. Together, they created an influential salon at 27 rue de Fleurus that attracted some of the most important artists and writers of the time, including Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Alice served as Stein's secretary, editor, and muse, helping to organize Stein's voluminous writings and supporting her radical literary experiments. She was also an accomplished cook and author in her own right, publishing 'The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook' in 1954, which interweaves recipes with memoir and became a beloved classic. After Stein's death, Alice wrote 'What Is Remembered,' a poignant memoir that provided intimate insights into her life with Stein and their cultural milieu. Alice's legacy extends beyond her relationship with Stein; she was an independent thinker, a dedicated art collector, and a writer whose voice captured an extraordinary era of modernist creativity.