Biography
Mary Belle de Vargas was born in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on March 4, 1902, the daughter of Richard de Vargas, Sr., a local jeweler and optometrist, and his wife Laure.
Born armless, Miss de Vargas lived a life in which her legs and feet were made to compensate for her missing arms and hands. She was walking by the age of two, and she began drawing at the age of four. Her toes were overly long and flexible, as were her legs, eventually enabling her to accomplish many tasks that might otherwise have remained elusive, including feeding and grooming herself, writing (she was even an accomplished stenographer and could also use a typewriter), and drawing and painting. Her toes were of sufficient strength and agility that she could unlock and open doors with ease, provide first aid (as certified by the American Red Cross), act as baby-sitter for the children of her friends, and, as she once said, "pinch a plug out of a man" if she felt threatened.
Though she would live virtually her entire life in the care of her family, she did so with a strong measure of independence and a number of accomplishments. She obtained a BA from Louisiana State Normal College in 1932, and later in life served as President of the Cane River Arts and Crafts Society and as Louisiana State Chapter Chairman of the American Artists Professional League. She also received a number of regional and national awards for her works of art, and frequently lectured about art for civic organizations throughout the Southeastern United States.
Born armless, Miss de Vargas lived a life in which her legs and feet were made to compensate for her missing arms and hands. She was walking by the age of two, and she began drawing at the age of four. Her toes were overly long and flexible, as were her legs, eventually enabling her to accomplish many tasks that might otherwise have remained elusive, including feeding and grooming herself, writing (she was even an accomplished stenographer and could also use a typewriter), and drawing and painting. Her toes were of sufficient strength and agility that she could unlock and open doors with ease, provide first aid (as certified by the American Red Cross), act as baby-sitter for the children of her friends, and, as she once said, "pinch a plug out of a man" if she felt threatened.
Though she would live virtually her entire life in the care of her family, she did so with a strong measure of independence and a number of accomplishments. She obtained a BA from Louisiana State Normal College in 1932, and later in life served as President of the Cane River Arts and Crafts Society and as Louisiana State Chapter Chairman of the American Artists Professional League. She also received a number of regional and national awards for her works of art, and frequently lectured about art for civic organizations throughout the Southeastern United States.
Miss de Vargas maintained her own studio on Front Street in Natchitoches for the final sixteen years of her life. From there, she would paint and draw, give informal "chalk talks" about art, teach classes in art and stenography, and sell her work.
Frail in health throughout her life, Mary Belle de Vargas died in January 1946, after a brief illness. At the time of her death, she weighed 52 pounds. She never married and did not have any children. In 1949, she was the subject of a biography, The Armless Marvel, Mary Belle, written by Gualterio Quinonas, a longtime friend, and published by North River Press.
Frail in health throughout her life, Mary Belle de Vargas died in January 1946, after a brief illness. At the time of her death, she weighed 52 pounds. She never married and did not have any children. In 1949, she was the subject of a biography, The Armless Marvel, Mary Belle, written by Gualterio Quinonas, a longtime friend, and published by North River Press.
