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Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886)
Could the seals below actually have belonged to the famous—and famously reclusive—poet?
Seals belonging to Emily Dickinson?
It’s unclear whether these seals belonged to Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) or to her namesake mother—but why does the very thought that she might have touched them excite you? You have probably read Dickinson’s poetry before. But, despite her fame, this intensely private poet shunned publicity at every turn. So, how did she come to be famous enough for this stamp to give you goosebumps? The answer: history has singled her out. History is a series of choices we make. Knowing this lets us reshape it. Why have we selected Dickinson as worthy of remembrance, but not most of the other women in these cases? And how can we instill a hunger in our culture for women’s forgotten histories?
Dickinson Room. Gift of Gilbert H. Montague (H 1901) in happy memory of his wife, Amy Angell Collier Montague, 1950.
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