Julian Leonard Street was an American author and journalist whose career spanned the early decades of the twentieth century. Born in Chicago, Street began his professional writing career as a reporter for the New York Mail and Express in 1899, eventually taking charge of its dramatic department. He transitioned into a prolific freelance writer, contributing regularly to magazines and publishing numerous books that ranged from travelogues to humorous fiction.\n\nStreet's travel writing, such as Abroad at Home (1914) and American Adventures (1917), captured the changing landscape of the United States through his observations of domestic travel. He also wrote about international destinations, as seen in Paris à la Carte (1912) and Mysterious Japan (1922). Beyond travel, Street was a celebrated short story writer, twice winning the prestigious O. Henry Award. His 1925 award-winning story, "Mr. Bisbee's Princess," was later adapted into the 1926 W. C. Fields silent film So's Your Old Man, while his 1909 book The Need of Change was adapted into the 1939 film I'm from Missouri.\n\nIn addition to his fiction and travelogues, Street was known for his cultural commentary. He famously described Marcel Duchamp's controversial painting Nude Descending a Staircase at the 1913 Armory Show as resembling "an explosion in a shingle factory." He also courted local notoriety with a 1914 article in Collier's Weekly about the red-light district of Cripple Creek, Colorado, which prompted disgruntled city officials to rename the targeted street "Julian Street." In his later years, Street moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where his manuscript collection is now preserved.
