Celia Thaxter in Her Garden, 1892, by Childe Hassam

American writer of poetry and stories, Celia Thaxter was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1835 and grew up in the Isles of Shoals, first on White Island, where her father, Thomas Laighton, was lighthouse keeper, and then on Smuttynose and Appledore Islands. When she was sixteen, she married Levi Thaxter and moved to the mainland. Her life with Levi was not harmonious and she missed her islands, and so after 10 years away, she moved back to Appledore Island. Her first published poem, Landlocked, was written during this time on the mainland. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (574x700, 155 KB)Celia Thaxter in Her Garden, 1892, by Childe Hassam; Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States, either because it was first published... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (574x700, 155 KB)Celia Thaxter in Her Garden, 1892, by Childe Hassam; Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States, either because it was first published... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... New Hampshire State Seal, which depicts the USS Raleigh built in 1776 beside the Piscataqua River. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Celia Thaxters Garden, Isles of Shoals, Maine, 1890, by Childe Hassam The Isles of Shoals are a group of nine small islands situated approximately 16 km (10 miles) off the east coast of the USA, straddling the border of the states of New Hampshire and Maine. ...

Celia became the hostess of her father's hotel, the Appledore House, and welcomed many New England literary and artistic notables to the island and to her parlor, including writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Whittier, Sarah Orne Jewett, and the artist Childe Hassam, who painted several pictures of her. She was present at the time of the infamous murders on Smuttynose Island, about which she wrote. She died in 1894. Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was a famous American essayist and one of Americas most influential thinkers and writers. ... Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1860s Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. ... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet who wrote many works that are still famous today, including The Song of Hiawatha, Paul Reveres Ride and Evangeline. ... John Greenleaf Whittier (born December 17, 1807, Haverhill, Massachusetts - died September 7, 1892, Hampton Falls, New Hampshire) was an American Quaker poet, and an advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. ... Sarah Orne Jewett (September 3, 1849 – June 24, 1909) was an American author whose works were set in her native New England. ... Frederick Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 - August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Her poems first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly and she became one of America's favorite authors in the late 19th century. Among her best-known poems are The Burgomaster Gull, Landlocked, Milking, The Great White Owl, The Kingfisher, and especially The Sandpiper. February 1862 edition of The Atlantic Monthly, with The Battle Hymn of the Republic on the front page. ...