Jeanne Robert Foster (1879-1970) was an American occultist, Theosophist, poet, fashion model, journalist and social worker from the Adirondack Mountains. A disciple of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), she was also known by the magical name Sister Hilarion.
Foster’s friends included many of the period’s leading authors and artists. She is buried next to her friend John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), the painter and father of William Butler Yeats, in the Foster family plot in Chestertown, NY.
“I Feared the Usual Life: Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words,” is a new exhibit at the Kelly Adirondack Center in Niskayuna, NY, which brings together the writing and photographs of Jeanne Robert Foster, traces her journey from a hardscrabble life in the Adirondacks to New York City and Boston, through Europe and Schenectady.
Foster’s colorful story is remarkable and inspiring. Her writings include profound reflections on the lives she created for herself and the exhibition honors her complexity and depth, while revealing her very human self.
The materials explore not only what she did, but how she understood herself and interpreted the rapidly changing world around her. By sharing her words directly, the exhibition offers her authentic insights into identity, ethics, philosophy, love, beauty, aging, memory, death, and legacy.
The scope of her poetry reflects a childhood of folktales and songs from her father as she sat curled up in his lap by the fire in their log cabin at the base of Crane Mountain in Johnsburg, NY, and the lively debates of literary and artistic figures in social circles of New York, Boston, and Europe.
Back in May, friends and admirers of Foster gathered to share her words which have moved and inspired them. Union College faculty and students as well as members of the community read her poetry, letters and other works.
A recording of that event is available on the Kelly Adirondack Center website.
The Kelly Adirondack Center is located in the former home of Adirondack Forest Preserve advocate Paul Schaefer at 897 St David’s Lane in Niskayuna, NY.
The exhibition will run through December 15, 2026. Visit the Kelly Adirondack Center homepage for open hours and excluded dates.
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