Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
I am pleased to announce that the Boston Globe has covered the recent discovery of previously unpublished photos of Anna Alcott Pratt and John Bridge Pratt which I posted on this blog. Here you will meet Mrs. Donna Keeler, the owner of the photo album, and get to see the album page with John and …
Read the Boston Globe story about this discovery, first revealed on this blog. I am thrilled to be able to reveal, for the first time, previously unknown photos of Anna Alcott Pratt and John Bridge Pratt to you. Approached by local researcher I was recently contacted by Ray Angelo, an amateur botanist and former resident …
In reading through the large collection of letters and journal entries I have from Alcott family members, it occurred to me that with a few exceptions, the sisters did not disparage one another. This is remarkable since sibling rivalry and age differences can present many challenges. Since any show of anger was frowned upon in …
Continue reading "Sibling rivalry – did “Little Women” spur May on to success?"
What a treat for Halloween and beyond! Juvenilia Press is announcing a new, annotated version of "Norna, or the Witch's Curse:" You can find out more at http://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/juvenilia. "Norna, or the Witch's Curse" is the play performed in Chapter 1 of Little Women. It is part of a book issued in 1893 by Roberts Brothers …
On Saturday, Oct. 1 I had the distinct pleasure of touring the town of Walpole NH where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived in Walpole, NH from 1855 through 1857. I was accompanied by my sister Chris and friend Kristi Martin, a certified tour guide of the various Concord historical homes. The historical society …
The Alcotts were an atypical Victorian family to be sure. Along with rather unconventional philosophic and religious ideas as to how to live, the family did not subscribe to typical Victorian role models. Role reversal To begin with, Bronson’s refusal or inability to work to support his family necessitated that his wife Abba take on …
Continue reading "Those unconventional Alcotts left behind quite the mark"
In the last post covering John Matteson's talk at the Colonial Inn I mentioned Bronson Alcott's Sonnets and Canzonets, published in 1882 and how they reveal the heart of the man. Each sonnet or canzonet is dedicated to his wife, daughters and many luminary friends such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller. …
