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“III



Alter? When the hills do.

Falter? When the sun

Question if his glory Be the perfect one.


Surfeit? When the daffodil

Doth of the dew:

Even as herself, O friend!

I will of you!

—Emily Dickinson, III, Poems, 1891

Poems and Illustrations

In 1891, Boston collectors Kingsmill and Laura Marrs received a very special volume for Christmas—a beautifully bound, gilt-edged copy of Emily Dickinson’s Poems, edited by her friends Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd. What made this volume special was the 26 botanical illustrations sprinkled throughout the text. 


The illustrations were likely commissioned by either Kingsmill or Laura Marrs from the artist Ellen Robbins, a largely self-taught watercolorist who had a studio at 6 Beacon Street in Boston. Each delicate drawing—ranging from bees to grasses to Massachusetts’s iconic mayflower—is signed “Ellen Robbins 1891.” The quiet beauty of the illustrations perfectly complements Dickinson’s ethereal verse.


See the illustrated book of poems up close.

Upcoming Events

MEMBER WEEK

Tuesday, 30 April | 3:30 PM

History Source Virtual Tour


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MEMBER WEEK

Tuesday, 30 April | 5:30 PM

Signed, Sealed, Delivered


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MEMBER WEEK

Wednesday, 1 May | 1:00 PM

Among the Adams Papers


Hobson Woodward, Series Editor, Adams Family Correspondence, The Adams Papers.


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MEMBER WEEK

Thursday, 2 May | 1:00 PM

Treasures Tour


Peter Drummey, Chief Historian & Stephen T. Riley Librarian.


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MEMBER WEEK

Tuesday, 30 April | 3:30 PM

History Source Virtual Tour


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MEMBER WEEK

Friday, 3 May | 1:00 PM

Behind the Scenes of Conservation


Samantha Couture, Nora Saltonstall Conservator & Preservation Librarian.


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MEMBER WEEK

Saturday, 4 May | 10:00 AM

Introduction to the Library


MHS Reference Librarians.


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MEMBER WEEK

Saturday, 4 May | 2:00 PM

Ye Olde Tavern Tour Sponsored by the Young Patrons of the MHS


Brooke Barbier, Public Historian.


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Monday, 6 May, 6:00 PM: Democracy Awakening: A Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson with Heather Cox Richardson, in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS President. This is a program.


Tuesday, 7 May, 5:00 PM: Taverns, Entrepreneurial Networking, Self-Improvement & Urban Tendencies in the Early Republican Northeast with Kirsten E. Wood, Florida International University, with comment by Richard D. Brown, University of Connecticut. This is a seminar.


Friday, 10 May, 2:00 PM: The Adams Papers: Leaving a Legacy with Sara Martin, Editor in Chief, The Adams Papers. This is a special Visionary Circle Member event.


Wednesday, 15 May, 6:00 PM: Annual Fiori Lecture: Curating Controversy: Exhibiting Difficult Objects in Museums with Erica Lome, Historic New England; Karina Corrigan, Peabody Essex Museum; and Jordan Cromwell, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; moderated by Catherine Allgor, MHS. This is a program.


Thursday, 16 May, 5:00 PM: Digital History Seminar on Projects Related to Public History and Documentary Editing with Tru Leverette Hall, Clayton McCarl, Maya Blackin, and Janaya Ferrer, from the University of North Florida; Laura Pietro, Suffolk University; and Marta Crilly, Boston College. This is a seminar.


Thursday, 23 May, 6:00 PM: A Civil Right: 20 Years of Marriage Equality in Massachusetts with the Honorable Margaret Marshall, former Chief of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, and Nancy Cott, Harvard University, in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS. This is a program.


Tuesday, 28 May, 6:00 PM: Our Voices: AAPI History at the MHS with Rakashi Chand, Reading Room Supervisor, and Peter Drummey, Chief Historian & Stephen T. Riley Librarian. This is a program.


See full calendar. Explore Member Week events.

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Interested in Past Programs?

 

If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video.


Click below to view the video, Italian Influence on Boston’s Culture, Economy & Politics, with civic leader Lawrence DiCara and historian James Pasto. Enjoy more videos by subscribing to the MHS YouTube channel after you view the video.

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2024 Making History Gala


Join us for an unforgettable evening on 6 June 2024, with featured speaker Doris Kearns Goodwin at the iconic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Visit www.masshist.org/gala to purchase tickets.  

The MHS Fund and Membership

Our Members make it possible for us to offer an array of complimentary services including admission to our exhibition galleries and library, online access to our collections and digital editions, and onsite and remote reference services for all. Membership begins with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $250 or more to the MHS Fund. All Members enjoy a full year of social, cultural, and educational experiences, including invitations to our annual Holiday Party, FREE program registration, and Member Week perks. Learn more and join today!
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