Actress, Artist. She appeared in a number of silent films, most notably the "Toonerville Trolley" comedies made by the Betzwood Film Company in Pennsylvania in 1920. At 6'3" and weighing nearly 300 pounds, she was perfect in the role of "Powerful Katrinka," one of the most popular characters of the "Toonerville" film series. She came from a very wealthy family and when her movie career ended in 1922, she purchased a farm in Bearsville, New York, near Woodstock and lived there with her life partner, Nan Mason, for most of the rest of her life. As an artist, Wilna Hervey is best remembered for tiny exquisite enamel paintings done in a technique she pioneered. "I'm a big woman, but I want my pictures to be small," she was fond of saying. Her partner, Nan Mason was also an artist, concentrating on painting and photography. Both "Willie" and Nan became beloved members of the artists community that was centered in Woodstock. Well known for their eccentricities, their generosity, and the wild parties they threw, Wilna Hervey and Nan Mason are still fondly remembered in Woodstock today.
Actress, Artist. She appeared in a number of silent films, most notably the "Toonerville Trolley" comedies made by the Betzwood Film Company in Pennsylvania in 1920. At 6'3" and weighing nearly 300 pounds, she was perfect in the role of "Powerful Katrinka," one of the most popular characters of the "Toonerville" film series. She came from a very wealthy family and when her movie career ended in 1922, she purchased a farm in Bearsville, New York, near Woodstock and lived there with her life partner, Nan Mason, for most of the rest of her life. As an artist, Wilna Hervey is best remembered for tiny exquisite enamel paintings done in a technique she pioneered. "I'm a big woman, but I want my pictures to be small," she was fond of saying. Her partner, Nan Mason was also an artist, concentrating on painting and photography. Both "Willie" and Nan became beloved members of the artists community that was centered in Woodstock. Well known for their eccentricities, their generosity, and the wild parties they threw, Wilna Hervey and Nan Mason are still fondly remembered in Woodstock today.
Bio by: Joe Eckhardt
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