In The sisters : a memoir of Elizabeth H., Abbie A., and Sarah F. Dickerman (Boston, 1859), frontispiece., Three separate waist-length portraits in arabesque frames: Elizabeth H. (Lizzie) Dickerman; Abbie A. Dickerman; Sarah F. (Fannie) Dickerman., The Dickerman sisters, who grew up in Connecticut, lived pious lives and died young. Elizabeth lived long enough to work first as a teacher and later as the first principal of the Hart Female Seminary in Plymouth, Connecticut.
In Van Amburgh’s Zoological & Equestrian Co. Concert Company. Fun for the million! (Philadelphia, 1859), detail., Mlle. Fredericks worked with Van Amburgh in 1859 only; cf. W.L. Slout. Olympians of the sawdust circle (1998)., Full-length portrait of the slack wire performer, holding a hoop as she balances on the wire.
In Hammond, L.M. Trials and triumphs of an orphan girl; or the biography of Mrs. Deiadamia Chase, physician and phrenologist (Cortland, N.Y., 1859), frontispiece., Mrs. Chase, orphaned in childhood, became a physician who advocated the use of phrenology., Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Chase., Another portrait appears in: American phrenological journal, v. 15 (May, 1852), p. 100.
Waist-length portrait of Chloe Lankton in bed, wearing bonnet., In Atwell, Harriet. Chloe Lankton, or, Light beyond the clouds (Philadelphia, 1859), frontispiece., Frontispiece signed: GAS., Chloe Lankton, a celebrated invalid, received many visitors over the course of her life while bedridden with scrofula (now diagnosed as a form of tuberculosis)., Additional portrait of sitter held in the Print Department. See cdv portraits -- sitters -- L [P.9057.79 (Brenner)].
In The Ladies' Repository (November, 1859), plate preceding p. 641. "Engraved expressly for the Ladies Repository.", Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Wilkins seated in front of a window with a Liberian village visible in the background.
Waist-length seated portrait of the actress holding a book., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 29 (Feb., 1859), p. 25., Ernestina Katherine Louise Marie Ritter, who went by the stage name Ada Clifton, was a popular actress in the mid-nineteenth century.
In Day, M. L. Incidents in the life of a blind girl (Baltimore, 1859), frontispiece., Mary Day studied at the Maryland Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, now the Maryland School for the Blind., Bust-length portrait of Mary Day.
Full-length portrait of the young girl holding her hands across her waist., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 29 (Jan., 1859), p. 1., At the age of four Ella Burns was a national celebrity, renowned for her captivating public readings and poetry recitations., “Without ever having been taught spelling or the alphabet, but having herself picked up a knowledge of words by intuitive quickness of eye, [Ella] takes any book of poetry presented to her and reads verses she has never before seen, with a cadence and a pronunciation which do the fullest justice to the sense and rhythm.”--P. 2.
In Ballou's pictorial drawing-room companion, v. 16, no. 20 (May 14, 1859), p. 305., “The accompanying engraving of the already famous “Fairy Children” is from a drawing made expressly for us by Mr. Homer [i.e., Winslow Homer] ….”, Dollie Dutton, known as the “Little Fairy,” had a stage career as a singer and a dancer. She and her sister Etta performed together before Etta died at the age of eight., Full-length standing portraits of diminutive Etta and Dollie Dutton, with a significantly taller child standing between them.
In Writings of Caroline Elizabeth Jenness (Boston, 1858), frontispiece., Waist-length of the New Hampshire writer, wearing a brooch depicting an adult and a child at the mid-point of a lace collar.
In Rockafield, H. A. The Manheim tragedy (Lancaster, 1858), back wrapper., Anderson and Richards were hanged at Lancaster, Pa., April 9, 1858., Full-length view of the women struggling with their assailant, one of whom holds a pistol and the other an axe.
In Wiley, I.W. The mission cemetery and the fallen missionaries of Fuh Chau, China (New York, 1858), p. 200., Mrs. Wentworth was the daughter of J.J. Lewis, Esq., and the wife of Rev. Dr. Wentworth. She and her husband were both members of the Methodist Episcopal Mission. They arrived in China in May 1855., Waist-length portrait of the missionary.
In Stratton, B. B. Captivity of the Oatman girls: being an interesting narrative of life among the Apache and Mohave Indians, (New York, 1858), frontispiece., More illustrations depicting Oatman appear in Stratton, B. B. Captivity of the Oatman girls (New York, 1858), plates opposite p. 85, p. 259, p. 272; p. 119, p. 133, p. 155, p. 195, p. 229., Olive Oatman lived as a captive among the Apache and Mohave Indians for five years, following the murder of her family., "The chief's wife then bade us go out upon the yard, and told us that the physicians were going to put marks on our faces. It was with much difficulty that we could understand, however, at first, what was their design. We soon, however, by the motions accompanying the commands of the wife of the chief, came to understand that they were going to tatoo our faces. We had seen them do this to some of their female children, and we had often conversed with each other about expressing the hope that we should be spared from receiving their marks upon us. I ventured to plead with them for a few moments that they would not put those ugly marks upon our faces. But it was in vain. To all our expostulations they only replied in substance that they knew why we objected to it; that we expected to return to the whites, and we would be ashamed of it then; but that it was their resolution we should never return, and that as we belonged to them we should wear their ‘Ki-e-chook.' They said further, that if we should get away, or if some other tribes should steal us, they would by this means know us. They then pricked the skin in small regular rows on our chins with a very sharp stick, until they bled freely. They then dipped these same sticks in the juice of a certain week that grew on the banks of the river, and then in the powder of a blue stone that was to be found in low water, in some places along the bed of the stream, (the stone they first burned until it would pulverize easy, and in burning it turned nearly black,) and pricked this fine powder into these lacerated parts of the face. The process was somewhat painful, though it pained us more for two or three days after than at the time of its being done. They told us this could never be taken from the face, and that they had given us a different mark from the one worn by their own females, as we saw, but the same with which they marked all their own captives, and that they could claim us in whatever tribe they might find us"--P.182-183., Waist-length portrait of Miss Olive Oatman, wearing necklace, with facial tattoos.
In Hitchcock, E. The power of Christian benevolence illustrated in the life and labors of Mary Lyon (New York, 1858), frontispiece. A different portrait appears in Hitchcock, E. The power of Christian benevolence... 4th ed. (Northampton, 1882), frontispiece., Mary Lyon founded the Mount Holyoke Seminary, which became Mount Holyoke College., Text below portrait: From a miniature painting in 1832., Another portrait appears in: The home: a fireside monthly companion and guide, vol. 1 (Feb. 1856), p. 49., Bust-length portrait of Lyon, wearing a hat and shawl.
In Kerlin, I.N. The mind unveiled (Philadelphia, 1858), plate opposite p. 15., Three-quarter portrait of eight-year-old Beckie standing next to full-length seated portrait of Bessie. Beckie and Bessie are children with mental disabilities at the Pennsylvania Training School (Germantown, Pa.).
In Young, A. Madame Young's Guide to health; her experience and practice for nearly forty years; a true family herbal (Rochester, N.Y., 1858), frontispiece., Young was a practicing physician who authored Madame Young's Guide to health, a manual intended to instruct women in the use of herbal and family medicine., "Of all men, the physician should be a liberal-minded man-- ever anxious to learn all that will enable him to be of benefit to his suffering fellow-creatures. He should never conclude that he has nothing more to know, or that he can find all knowledge in any one system, or theory, of practice; he should ever be ready to learn, from every body. He who expects to find out all that can be known, in one train of reasoning, or round of study, is like a man traveling upon a circle"--P.146-147., Bust-length portrait of Madame Young, wearing a bonnet, eyeglasses, and a cross necklace.
Three-quarter length portrait of the triplets, seated side by side. All three wear bonnets and hold their hands in their laps in a similar manner., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 28 (Sept., 1858), p. 40., “These persons resemble each other very strongly, more especially Mrs. Bushnell and Grennell. Though it is not always the case that twins and triplets resemble each other in appearance and character, yet it is more common for them to do so than it is for those of single birth, because the parents in cases of twins transmit characteristics to the progeny from one given condition of body and of mind….”--P. 40.
Waist-length portrait of the educator, seated, wearing bonnet., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 27 (June, 1858), p. 88., “Miss Sophia S. Cornell, the distinguished author of Cornell’s admirable series of School Geographies, and who is extensively known as one of the most successful educators and teachers at present enlisted in the great cause of popular Education, was born in New London, Conn., and is of American parentage.”--P. 86, Robert Price obtained a patent in Worcester, Mass., on May 5, 1857, for the process of producing photographic images on wood ; cf. American phrenological journal, vol. 27 (Feb. 1858), p. 24.
Waist-length portrait of the writer wearing a locket containing the portrait of her husband and holding a small portrait of her three sons., In Corwin, Jane H. The harp of home (Cincinnati, 1858), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: Yours with respect Jane H Corwin., Mrs. Jane H. Corwin was a newspaper writer who frequently published pseudonymously. Two letters attached to the Library Company copy reveal that, in the years following the book’s initial publication, her husband died and her three surviving sons fought in the Civil War, and the losses suffered rendered her penniless.
In Aunt Sally; or, the cross the way of freedom. / A narrative of the slave-life and purchase of the mother of Rev. Isaac Williams, of Detroit, Michigan (Cincinnati, 1858), frontispiece., Sally Williams's son Isaac purchased her freedom. The publishers envisioned the narrative of her life, in which the portrait appears, as a text that would inspire readers "to labor for that oppressed and unhappy race which "Aunt Sally" represents, so, at length, this unfortunate people shall be slaves no longer, but shall find that, to them all, the Cross has been the Way of Freedom."--P.v., "And this is the mother and this is the son, who, through such peril and labor, have escaped from bondage into freedom. The facts need no comments. They are eloquent enough of themselves. But when we remember that these are not isolated cases, but that every day there is this suffering and strife for liberty, with only now and then one fortunate enough to obtain it, they become "trumpet-tongued," and plead with us to rest not till all over the land liberty shall no longer be a name only, but the right and blessing of every creature."--P.213., Another illustration picturing Williams appears in: Aunt Sally; or, the cross the way of freedom, plate opposite p. 214., Waist-length portrait of Williams, wearing a bonnet and eyeglasses.
In Wiley, I.W. The mission cemetery and the fallen missionaries of Fuh Chau, China (New York, 1858), p. 54., Mrs. White and her husband were both members of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They arrived in Fuh Chau, China, in September 1847., Another portrait appears in: American missionary memorial (New York, 1853), p. 416., Waist-length portrait of the missionary.
In Wiley, I.W. The mission cemetery and the fallen missionaries of Fuh Chau, China (New York, 1858), p. 166., Mrs. Wiley and her husband were both members of the Methodist Episcopal Mission. They traveled to China in 1851., Waist-length portrait of the missionary.
In Rankin, Mary. The daughter of affliction (Dayton, 1858), frontispiece., Waist-length portrait of the invalid, with a blanket across her lap., "Your sister in Christ, Mary Rankin".
In The Ladies' Repository (July, 1858), plate preceding p. 385. "Engraved expressly for the Ladies Repository.", Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Garrett.
In Wiley, I.W. The mission cemetery and the fallen missionaries of Fuh Chau, China (New York, 1858), p.336., Mrs. Colder was the daughter of Rev. John Winebrenner, and the wife of Rev. James Colder. Mrs. Colder and her husband were both members of the Methodist Episcopal Mission, and arrived in China in July 1851., Waist-length portrait of the missionary.
In Cooke, H.B. Memories of my life work / the autobiography of Mrs. Harriet B. Cooke (New York: 1858), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: H. B. Cooke., Waist-length portrait of the educator, wearing a bonnet.
Full-length portrait of the young girl in color, wearing a white dress with large red sash and flowers in hair. Seated on grass, amidst trees and flowers, with a large brown dog., In Southgate, F. Affection schottisch (Baltimore, 1858)., “To Miss Georgiana Smith of Boston”.
In Lectures of Lola Montez (Countess of Landsfeld) including her autobiography (New York, 1858), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: Lola Montez., Lola Montez was born in Ireland and spent her childhood in India, Scotland, France, and England. As an adult, she trained as a dancer and traveled the royal courts of Europe. She had a forceful, captivating personality, and at times she wielded considerable political influence, particularly in Bavaria, where she was the mistress of King Ludwig I. Later in life, she moved to America, where she performed as a dancer, actress, and lecturer. In one of her public lectures, she proclaimed, "It takes most women two-thirds of their lifetime to discover, that men may be amused by, without respecting them; and every woman may make up her mind that to be really respected, she must possess merit, she must have accomplishments of mind and heart, and there can be no real beauty without these."--P. 121-122., Another portrait appears in: Gleason's pictorial drawing-room companion, vol. 2, no. 16, (April 17, 1852), p. 249., Bust-length portrait of Montez., Another portrait (entitled "Morning") appears in: Snow flake (1849), frontispiece. The sitter is identified as Lola Montez on the basis of a portrait by Jules Laure; the painting is now located in the collection of the Leeds Castle Foundation, Maidstone, Kent, UK.
In Life and letters of Miss Mary C. Greenleaf (Boston, 1858), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: M.C. Greenleaf., Bust-length portrait of Miss Greenleaf.
In Cries of the metropolis, or, Humble life in New York (Rutland, 1858), p. [7]., Full-length portrait of Elizabeth Carl, seated with a basket of apples next to her., Born in Potsdam, Elizabeth Carl came to New York City at age 73, and sold apples outside A.T. Stewart’s department store (and possibly other stores) for the following 17 years.
In Only full report of the trial of Rev. I.S. Kalloch, on charge of adultery ... with accurate portraits of Kalloch, and the beautiful lady in black (Boston, 1857), p. 4., “The Springfield republican says: ‘The lady thus unfortunately implicated with Mr. Kalloch, is the young and lovely wife of a citizen of Brattleboro’, Vt.’”, Waist-length portrait of the “lady in black,” touching her necklace with her right hand.
In Narrative of the deceptive courtship and seduction of Miss Phebe Crossen (Cincinnati, 1857), wrapper vignette., Fictitious person? Born near Blanchester, Ohio, Phoebe Crossen was raised by her grandparents after her mother died (and her father went West); her seducer promised marriage and then supplied Phebe with medicine in order to kill their unborn child; after the child was born dead, she wrote the narrative and committed suicide with laudanum on February 19, 1857., Three-quarter length portrait of the unwed mother, carrying a book in one hand and a lace handkerchief in the other hand.
In The magic staff : an autobiography of Andrew Jackson Davis (New York, 1857), plate opposite p. [19]., Facsimile signature: Mary F. Davis., Mary Fenn Davis divorced her first husband, Samuel G. Love (1821-1893), in order to marry celebrity spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis (1826-1910) in 1855. In 1885, Andrew Jackson Davis had their marriage annulled after he discovered that he had made a mistake thirty years earlier when he determined that he and Mary Fenn Davis were soul mates. He then married Della E. Markham (1839-1928). Already a temperance lecturer when she met Andrew Jackson Davis, Mary Fenn Davis worked alongside her husband in writing and editorial projects during their marriage., Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Davis, dressed simply with a lace collar and a brooch at her neck.
In Bishop, H. E. Floral home; or, first years of Minnesota (New York, 1857), plate opposite p. 259., Old Bets was a Dakota woman, also known as Aza-ya-man-ka-wan, or the Berry Picker, who lived near St. Paul, Minnesota. She was involved in aiding white settlers in the Sioux Uprising of 1862., Waist-length portrait of Old Bets., Another portrait appears in: American phrenological journal, v. 26 (Oct., 1857), p. 84.
In Ballou's pictorial drawing-room companion, v. 12, no. 8 (Boston, Feb. 21, 1857), p. 124., Marsh's Juvenile Comedians was a traveling children's theater troupe that performed in locations from Maine to California to Australia. Many of its members went on to successful adult acting careers., "In the performances of these children, you would look for something automatic; and might fancy beforehand, if you saw them once, you would exhaust their capabilities. Such, however, is by no means the case. Though they certainly evince careful training, still there is a great deal of spontaneity in their performances. If they possessed a purely imitative faculty, without any creative genius, they could not by any possibility be taught to play the many pieces which make up their repertory."--P.124., Full-length portrait of the troupe, including sixteen girls and three boys.
Full-length portrait of the singer holding a fan and wearing a full-skirted tiered dress., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 4, no. 91 (Aug. 29, 1857), p. 193., Miss Juliana May was an American opera singer who first achieved fame in Europe.
Full-length portrait of the actress in costume as Medea. She wears Grecian robes and drapes a long beaded necklace around her head and across her chest. A brooch with a portrait on it adorns her right sleeve and she wears a bracelet beaded with pearls., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 3, no. 59 (Jan. 24, 1857), p. 128., “Miss Heron’s style is her own. She has endeavored throughout her career to perfect such abilities as were most natural to herself : hence her success in producing powerful emotions upon her audiences. At first she is rather quiet - almost tame, some would suppose - but she gradually warms up with the progress of the play, and closes the performance with some of the most powerful effects it is possible to imagine. In most of her scenes she is perfectly natural, and refuses to use any of the trickeries which have so long defaced the efforts of some of our best actors.”--P. 128., Another portrait found in: Ballou’s pictorial drawing-room companion, vol. 14, no. 8 (Apr. 4, 1857), p. 177.
In Bishop, H. E. Floral home; or, first years in Minnesota (New York, 1857), frontispiece., Harriet Bishop moved to Minnesota, then still a territory, to become the first teacher in the small city of St. Paul. She was a writer and an advocate of education reform and women's rights., Facsimile signature: Harriet E. Bishop., Bust-length portrait of Bishop, wearing a brooch.
In Park, R. Jerusalem; and other poems juvenile and miscellaneous (New York, 1857), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: Mary B Park., Mary Park, the beloved wife of the Rev. Roswell Park, president of Racine College, died in childbirth., Waist-length portrait of Park, wearing a shawl and ornamental bow.
Shoulder-length portrait of Mrs. Farnham in profile, wearing eyeglasses., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 25 (June, 1857), p. 133., Mrs. Eliza Farnham was an author, a prison matron at Sing Sing, and a feminist reformer. She was a champion of phrenology and assisted Marmaduke Sampson in illustrating the phrenologically-based Rationale of crime (New York, 1857) by providing him with subjects from Sing Sing., “Fig. 8 shows great vigor and compass of thought, ability to grasp and conquer subjects requiring steady logical power, yet the two points referred to, though they show the chief differences between the two, are not the only strong points of the portrait under consideration. The head rises high, and is long and broad on the top, showing strong moral sentiment, firmness and dignity combined with prudence, taste, and the qualities which give refinement, elevation, and purity of mind. She is one of the strongest female thinkers and writers in America ; and in officiating as matron of the State Prison at Sing Sing for several years, and also in many other spheres of action, she has shown her stamina of character and strength of mind. The perceptive organs are not large enough for a good balance of intellect.”--P. 133., Another portrait appears in: Phrenological and physiological almanac, for 1849 (New York, 1848), p. 31.
Full-length portrait of Miss Rolla dancing on stage, with a bouquet at her feet., In Frank Leslie's illustrated weekly, vol. 4, no. 92 (Sept. 5, 1857), p. 209., Miss Teresa Rolla was an Italian-born ballet dancer who, shortly after moving to New York City, made her American premiere at Niblo's Garden at the age of nineteen.
In Hubbell, M.S. Memorial, or, The life and writings of an only daughter (Boston, 1857), frontispiece., Facsimile signature: Yours truly Mary E. Hubbell., Full-length portrait of the writer, seated with a book in her hand.
Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Cunningham, seated., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 3, no. 63 (Feb. 27, 1857), p. 192., Mrs. Emma Augusta Cunningham was accused of murdering Dr. Harvey Burdell, a wealthy dentist from whom she rented a suite of rooms and with whom she was romantically involved. The murder and subsequent trial caused a media frenzy and, though she was ultimately acquitted of the crime, her innocence came into question when it was found that she was neither married to Burdell nor pregnant with his child, as she initially claimed. The murder remains unsolved.
Waist-length portrait of Miss Helen Cunningham, wearing necklace., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 3, no. 63 (Feb. 21, 1857), p. 192., Miss Helen Cunningham was the daughter of Mrs. Emma Augusta Cunningham. Miss Cunningham was a tenant in Dr. Harvey Burdell’s mansion and a witness at the sensational trial of his murder.
In The Dalton divorce case (Boston, 1857), title vignette., Helen Dalton was accused of adultery by her husband, Frank Dalton, but maintained her innocence, arguing that her relations with her supposed lover, William Sumner, had not been improper. The ensuing divorce trial was complicated by counter-accusations of adultery and spousal neglect leveled at Frank Dalton, allegations of an aborted pregnancy, and Sumner's death following a brutal beating by Mr. Dalton. The trial became something of a public sensation, as the topic of women and morality was a subject of heated debate. The jury was ultimately unable to come to a conclusive verdict., Full-length portrait of Dalton, wearing a gown and bonnet.
Waist-length portrait of Miss Augusta Cunningham, seated., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 3, no. 63 (Feb. 21, 1857), p. 192., Miss Augusta Cunningham was the daughter of Mrs. Emma Augusta Cunningham. Miss Cunningham was a tenant in Dr. Harvey Burdell’s mansion and a witness at the sensational trial of his murder.
Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Prosser, wearing muff., In Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, vol. 3, no. 75 (May 16, 1857), p. 368., Mrs. Prosser was a witness in the Burdell murder trial., Also known as Caroline Weathington. Cf. New York daily tribune (Feb. 6, 1857), p. 6.