The Peabody Sisters by Louise Hall Tharp

 

Summary (from the publisher): The Peabody Sisters of Salem is a classic biography illuminating one of the most fascinating periods of American history: the intellectual "flowering" of New England, the golden age of such figures as Hawthorne, Thoreau, Channing, Emerson, Mann and Melville. "Louise Hall Tharp." writes Louis Auchincloss in his introduction to this edition "limns this era of seething intellects in the vision of three sisters, each unlike the other two. The result is a brilliant assessment of the role of women in that time and place." The Peabody sisters were at the hub of this whirlwind. All three taught school, a commitment reflected at all stages of their lives. Elizabeth Peabody, the oldest, is known as the founder of kindergarten in the United States. She worked as Channing's secretary for several years, unpaid and unacknowledged, and published the Dial, which Emerson edited. She ran the famous bookshop on Boston's West Street, where Hawthorne, Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Alcott and others gathered to discuss issues and literature of the time. Her enthusiasm and vigor were so memorable Henry James used her as his model for Miss Birdseye in the Bostonians. Like her sister Elizabeth, Mary was a teacher and naturally attracted to that great man of education, Horace Mann. But while it was Elizabeth whose long intimate conversations with Mann often resulted in her combing his hair, it was Mary who married him and went west with him to help found Antioch College. Their poignant love story is told with the sensitivity and humor that mark all of the sisters. None of the sisters was more sensitive or more creatively talented than Sophia, whose frailty was marked by a series of ailments. As a painter, her primary activity was the scrupulously detailed reproduction of other painters' works. But she was an intellectual and spiritual match for her husband, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and she supported him through the days of poverty and denigration as well as the times of genius and acclaim.

Review: Born during the intellectual blossoming of New England in the middle of the nineteenth century, the three Peabody sisters' lives intersected with the lives of numerous well known figures including prominent writers and teachers. All were teachers to supplement their dentist father's paltry income. The oldest sister, Elizabeth, is known as the founder of public kindergarten in the United States, published the Dial that was edited by Emerson, and taught with Bronson Alcott who is of course the father of Louisa May Alcott. Mary fell deeply in love with a well known figure in education, Horace Mann, and travelled with him out west to found Antioch College. Finally, their frail and artistic sister Sophia defied her family's belief that her health would prevent her marrying. She fell in love with married Nathaniel Hawthorne and supported him through his career to become one of the best known authors of his time. 

This was a really enjoyable biography about three sisters who found themselves at the center of an intellectual awakening. Although in many ways I liked and enjoyed reading more about Mary and Sophia, Elizabeth was by far the most accomplished and intellectual of the sister. It was the oldest and only unmarried sister Elizabeth who seems to have seen herself as the spokesperson and champion of her sisters and was always arranging teaching positions and similar situations for them. Mysteriously, Elizabeth did have a serious suitor as a younger woman. The author alludes that her suitor ends up killing himself, although this was never explicitly stated: "Poor L.B. found his way, in such a horrid way, out of this world" (35). The other two sisters married quite late in life but still managed to have three children each. While the married sister's lives thus became consumed with their husband's pursuits and raising their children, Elizabeth remained devoted to intellectual pursuits and supporting herself and their parents. In addition to founding kindergartens, she has also been called "the first woman lecturer in the United States" (93) and for many years ran a bookshop where intellectual debates and conversations were routinely hosted. One interesting detail about her is that Bronson Alcott named one his daughters Elizabeth after her, in recognition of her devotion to their school (and his lack of payment to her). This daughter would go on to be the fictionalized Beth of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. 

Although very different men and very different marriages, both Mary and Sofia had true love matches. Sofia and her husband Nathaniel Hawthorne lived with very little for much of their marriage, only with visits from their friend and author Herman Melville to break up the long winters. Their love story, of the reclusive and handsome writer who falls for the physically frail Sofia was touching, particularly since it had a happy ending. Similarly, despite the many years of unrequited love Mary had for Horace Mann, it was gratifying to see them finally married. The sisters all drifted apart with time, as each found their own path and their own convictions. Differences about slavery seems to have particularly come between them. 

I do wish more had shared about their families. Perhaps most striking, the author shares almost no details about how Horace Mann became such a prominent named in education, leading to his recommendation for various positions. This lack of context when I have never read anything about his life before was a bit disconcerting. Additionally, almost no details about their three younger brothers was shared other than cursory notes about their existence and early deaths. Relatively little was shared about their parents as well, other than the woeful state of their finances because of their father's possessions and his tender care of his grandchildren later in life. Similarly, it would have been interesting to have included a brief summary of the six children of the next generation and their lives, but no real detail was included. However, overall a fascinating book about three women whose lives were constantly intersecting with famous names and historical events. 

Stars: 4