Monday, June 13, 2022

New at the State Library: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Photo courtesy of 
Castle of Our Skins
L'Merchie Frazier
If you’ve been to the State Library over the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed some new books about Frances Ellen Watkins Harper on display in the reading room. Harper, a writer and abolitionist, is not only the subject of these books, but also the subject of a quilt created by Boston-based artist L’Merchie Frazier. 

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper:
Bronze Muse, 2015
when it was on display at the
State Library in early June 2022
Frazier’s quilt, titled Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: Bronze Muse, 2015, is part of a larger exhibit called The Quilted Chronicles, which, according to Frazier, “examines the lives and legacies of African-descended people, including children and their communities across centuries of memory, places, and activism.” Frazier created this particular quilt to honor Harper, a woman who stands among other prominent black women like Rosa Parks and Sojourner Truth, all of whom worked endlessly to challenge the impact that slavery had on human and civil rights.
 
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was not just an abolitionist, but a teacher, lecturer, suffragist, and a member of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. She was a leading black poet in America in the nineteenth-century and also a journalist who wrote frequently for anti-slavery newspapers. Harper was born free in 1825 in Baltimore, Maryland, but at age 3 was orphaned due to her parents' deaths. As a result, she went to live with her aunt and uncle, Henrietta Watkins and Rev. William Watkins, Sr. Her uncle founded the Watkins Academy for Negro Youth in 1820, which Harper attended. As an abolitionist himself, Watkins brought to light these ideas to Harper and impacted her career going forward.
 
Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
In 1845, at age 20, she published her first book of poetry, Forest Leaves, or Autumn Leaves. At 26, she became a teacher, first teaching in Ohio and then in Pennsylvania. Harper later gave up teaching and started lecturing to push forth the cause of abolitionism. She actually gave her first speech right here in Massachusetts in 1854, in New Bedford. The speech was given at a meeting on the “Education and Elevation of the Colored Race.” It has been suggested that the text of this speech later appeared in her book titled Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects. 

Also important to note is Harper’s 1859 short story titled The Two Offers, which is believed to be the first short story published by an African-American writer. You can read a copy of this short story in its entirety at this link. Harper’s first novel, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, published in 1892, was for some time believed to be the first novel by an African American woman. The significance of Harper’s work still remains though, as it documents the black experience through the years of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. It also depicts social issues like the education of women, temperance, and religion.

Often referred to as "The Bronze Muze," Harper was one of the most famous women of her era and this quilt is meant to honor all that she has done. The quilt depicts vignettes of Harper’s 1858 sit-in to protest the segregated horse-drawn streetcars in Philadelphia and you’ll also notice Boston’s African Meeting House, where she lectured in 1854 and 1864.

If you're interested in learning more about Harper or reading some of her works, the following titles can be used in the reading room or you can check them out via interlibrary loan through your local library:

Any other questions? Feel free to contact us at reference.department@mass.gov. 

Jessica Shrey
Reference Librarian

Posted by at