Tender Buttons

Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) was an influential American writer, poet, and art collector whose work helped shape the course of modernist literature and art in the early 20th century. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and raised in California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, where she became a central figure in the avant-garde scene. Her Paris salon, shared with her lifelong partner Alice B. Toklas, attracted artists and writers such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Stein’s innovative use of language and her rejection of traditional narrative structures are exemplified in works like Three Lives (1909) and Tender Buttons (1914), where she experiments with repetition, abstraction, and sound. Her 1933 memoir, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, became a bestseller and solidified her reputation as a literary pioneer. Stein’s legacy endures as a key voice in modernist literature and an inspiration for artists across disciplines.