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User:Mabalu/Missingdates

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These are mainly artists, actors and writers I have encountered through my researches, rather than an exhaustive list of every person missing details on Wikipedia. I am focusing on 19th and 20th century persons as these are most likely to eventually be identifiable.

Name Latest possible birth year Last known date of activity. Nationality Reason for notability Rationale/clues as to age and/or status
Vitaldi Babani 1874-76 1919 Middle Eastern Entrepreneur, founder of Babani Founded Babani in 1894. Dates unknown - his son took over in 1919.
Maurice Babani 1901 1940 Middle Eastern or French Fashion designer and perfumier His father founded Babani in 1894; Maurice took over in 1919. Babani closed in 1940. Dates unknown.
David Bond 1940? 1994 English Fashion designer and author Presumed still alive. Studied at RCA as one of Janey Ironside's first students, (her course started in 1956), then joined Slimma in 1960s. Won Dress of the Year award while at Slimma in 1967. Clearly born in late 1930s/early 40s to have been RCA student c.1960, but cannot yet locate any age references. His last book came out in 1994.
Silvia Baker 1908-10 1964.01.25 [1] British? Artist, writer and diarist First published work in 1924,[2]. Wife of Athole Hay. Returned to London in late 1944.[3] Wrote Alone and Loitering : Pages From an Artists Travel Diary (1938-1944) (published 1947), last known book published 1950.[4]. Last known report mentions an exhibition in Jan 1964. Potential source: [5]
Yiannis Evangelides 1900? 1958.10 Greek Fashion designer His couture house in Athens reportedly ran for 20 years before outbreak of World War II in 1939,[6] this would mean he set up in business in 1919. Last heard of in October 1958 when he produced his first ready to wear collection in New York.[7] When his article was created on the Greek Wikipedia in 2007 it sounded as if he was still alive.
Graziella Fontana 1945 mid 1970s Italian Fashion designer Known active dates 1965-early 1970s. "Young Mod designer" in 1968 (implying early-mid 20s). Presumed still alive.
Blanche F. Hunter 1850? 1950? British Artist Generally accepted that she was active 1889-1907. She and her sister Ada were official painters for the Victoria and Albert Museum at turn of the centuries, hand-colouring photographs and producing painted reconstructions of patterns from fabric fragments etc. One source suggests dates of 1850-1950 (did she die a centenarian?) but unclear how reliable it is. No dates given in the British and Irish Paintings in Public Collections Index.[8]. Definitely alive and working in 1910, per autograph letter.[9]
Ada Hunter 1870 1907 British Artist Generally accepted that she was active 1886-1907 - slightly earlier than her sister Blanche's dates of 1889-1910, possibly implying Ada was the older sister. Blanche has tentative dates of 1850-1950[[10] which might suggest older(?) sister Ada was born before 1850, but this is by no means ascertainable, hence latest date of 1870. The Hunters were in-house painters for the Victoria and Albert Museum at turn of the centuries, hand-colouring photographs and producing painted reconstructions of patterns from fabric fragments etc. No dates given in the British and Irish Paintings in Public Collections Index.[11].
Ben King 1924 1978 American Fashion designer Won Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1944 (hence presuming earliest possible birth date was 20 years prior.) Ben King company were still producing accessories in late 1970s, latest ref I found dated 1978. [12]. NB: It's unclear whether Ben King was a real person or simply the name given to a company - which is possible, given that Neiman Marcus awarded prizes to businesses as well as individuals.
Marty Ruza 1950-52 1982 American Fashion designer Won Coty Award for jewellery in 1970. Last heard of as president of his company in Los Angeles Times, 19 November 1982. (Ruza Creations still around in 1991, but no mention of MR as an individual.[13])

Successes

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