INTRODUCING: CYNTHIA

Cynthia Ann Parker is a remarkable woman with a story of legendary proportions.

Born into an Anglo family, Cynthia was captured and adopted into a Comanche one at age 10 and became so ingrained in the Native American culture she forgot her white ways entirely. She married chieftain Peta Nocona with whom she had three children – two sons (one being legendary Quanah Parker, the last free Comanche chief) and one daughter. Eventually and reluctantly, Cynthia was recaptured and returned to her biological kin late in her life. Desperate to reunite with her sons and devastated by the untimely death of her daughter, Cynthia essentially starved herself to death after multiple failed attempts to flee Anglo life.

Her upbringing and cultural identity were multifaceted and complex. In concepting a vision for Cynthia’s Closet, we aimed to capture that complexity, acknowledging her Anglo origins but celebrating the Comanche culture she ultimately chose as her own.

“Cynthia’s story is beautiful and tragic and really quite incredible,” said Cheryl McMullen, designer for Double D Ranch. “I think that’s what endeared her to me. It’s hard to imagine the events of her life, but as a woman, and a mother, I can appreciate her deep connection and commitment to her children and her willingness to sacrifice all else in an attempt to reunite her family. She was a pioneer and a legend, and an inspiration.”

The Cynthia Collection is less of a literal interpretation of what might have been in her closet and more of a channeling of her spirit, dedicated to her strength.