Sarah Helen Whitman.
Sarah Helen Whitman’s Works
During her fifty year career, SHW contributed hundreds of pieces to magazines, published several books, and wrote poems for recitation at commemorative occasions.
sarah helen whitman’s works
Sarah Helen Whitman began her publishing career in 1828 when her poem “To the Spirit of Poetry” appeared in Sarah Josepha Hale’s journal, The Ladies’ Magazine. Over the next 50 years, she produced a steady stream of materials including poetry, literary criticism, book reviews, opinion pieces, biographical sketches, and travel literature, which she published through dozens of journals including the New York Home Journal, American Metropolitan Magazine, Southern Literary Messenger, Shekinah, Providence Daily Journal, New York Tribune, Ladies’ Magazine, Spiritual Telegraph, Graham’s Magazine, Boston Pearl, and Literary Journal and Weekly Register of Science and the Arts among many others.
Although her submissions numbered in the hundreds, SHW’s penchant for publishing under her two pseudonyms—“Helen” and “Egeria”—makes it difficult to track down or even offer a final estimate on the scope of her journalistic publications. More easily identifiable are her three self-authored volumes—Hours of Life, and Other Poems (1853), Poe and His Critics (1860), and Poems by Sarah Helen (1879)—and the numerous pamphlets, small booklets, and popular anthologies that she issued or in which she appeared.
This page has attempted to collect the many pieces SHW published during her lifetime into one comprehensive list. Her works, however, are scattered across dozens of journals, many of which have not been preserved. Those that have been preserved have not necessarily been digitized due to the secondary status literary journals occupy in current conceptions of nineteenth century literature. Any perceived scarcity in this list, therefore, should be regarded not as evidence of the insignificance of nineteenth century journals, but rather of the disregard in which they have recently been held. This scarcity should, moreover, be regarded as an opportunity for ongoing academic research—an invitation to reconstitute the record through the digitization of undiscovered materials.
Also, remember that the majority of the poems that appear in her collections of poetry were published first in journals; it was their success through that medium that led to their collection into a volume.
books.
SHW published two books during her lifetime—an additional volume of her poetry was published the year after her death.
Hours of Life and Other Poems (1853)
SHW’s first published volume was produced twenty-five years after her first appearance in print and compiled many of the poems that had proven popular among her magazine readership. The volume, which was published by George H. Whitney, a Providence printer, includes 59 original poems and 6 translations of poems from German, a language she spoke fluently. This volume is 227 pages in length and includes her famous sonnet sequences to Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Edgar Allan Poe.
Poe and His Critics (1860)
SHW’s second published volume appeared in 1860 shortly after the appearance of the libelous biography of Edgar Allan Poe (SHW’s one-time fiancé) by Rufus Griswold, Poe’s literary executor. Incensed by Griswold’s misappropriation and misrepresentation of Poe’s manuscripts, SHW gathered her own considerable manuscripts and knowledge of Poe to pen a rebuttal that blends memoir, biography, and literary criticism into a meticulous vindication of Poe’s reputation from the malignant intentions of his archivist. This work gained immediate recognition among scholars for its intuitive treatment of Poe and remains a foundational text in Poe studies. The volume was original published by Rudd & Carleton, a New York firm, and is 81 pages in length.
Poems (1879)
SHW’s third published volume was published the year after her death and included 78 original poems and eight translations of German poems. Although it was released posthumously, SHW had spent the last six months of her life preparing its materials, and many of the poems are revisions of poems that appeared earlier in Hours of Life (1853). This volume was overseen by SHW’s close friend, William Douglas O’Connor and was published through The Riverside Press, a publishing company based in Boston, where she had lived for five years and in which she held many literary connections and close friends.
anthologies.
Anthologies, especially of poetry, were extremely popular with magazine-readers in the 19th century, and the inclusion of an author’s work in an anthology not only signified their talent but also considerably boosted the readership of the magazines through which they regularly published.
The Ladies’ Wreath (1837)
This anthology of poetry, subtitled “A Selection from the Female Poetic Writers of England and America” was collected and edited by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of The Ladies’ Album in which SHW’s poetry first appeared. This volume includes four poems by SHW: “The Blind Man’s Lay,” “Retrospection,” “She Blooms No More,” and “The Spirit of Poetry.” These four poems, together with a short (not altogether accurate) biographical sketch of SHW, begin on page 354 of the volume.
The Rhode-Island Book (1841)
Within a year of moving to Providence, RI, Anne Lynch Botta—later New York salonniere and friend of SHW—began compiling pieces written by Rhode Island’s notable authors past and present, including SHW. The final edition includes six poems and one essay by SHW.
The Female Poets of America (1848)
Based largely on his earlier volume The Poets and Poetry of America (1842), Rufus Griswold became something of an authority on American verse in the late 1840s, at which time he released a second anthology of American poetry, this time focusing exclusive on female poets. The volume collects poetry by nearly 100 women and includes 22 poems by and a biographical sketch of SHW (beginning on page 166).
The American Female Poets with Biographical and Critical Notices (1848)
Published the same year as Griswold’s Female Poets of America, American Female Poets placed its editor, Caroline May, in a literary feud with Griswold, who, jealous of his reputation as tastemaker of American poetry, resented others’ intrusion into his corner of the market. May, an English-born poet and literary critic who immigrated to the United States while in her teens, refused to cower before Griswold and instead continued releasing anthologies over the 1850s. This volume contains works by eighty American poetesses and includes 6 poems by and a biographical sketch of SHW (beginning on page 236). This anthology was later republished as Pearls from the American Female Poets (1869).
The Female Poets of America (1851)
In the wake of Griswold’s 1848 anthology, anthologies of female poets became popular in the United States. Originally published in 1849, this Female Poets of America was compiled by Thomas B. Read, himself a poet and painter who would later produce portraits of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Abraham Lincoln, Lord Tennyson, and both Brownings. The volume collects poetry by nearly 80 women and includes 5 poems by and a biographical sketch of SHW (beginning on page 277).
In this anthology, editor Sarah Josepha Hale undertook the monumental task of compiling works by women from their earliest entry into the canon of world literature up to the “present” of 1850. Standing just under 1,000 pages in length, the volume begins with works by historical figures such as Cleopatra, Agrippina, Sappho, Joan of Arc, Lucrezia Borgia, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I before giving way to the popular authoresses of the mid-nineteenth century. Included in the latter half of the work are 7 poems by and a biographical sketch of SHW (beginning on page 813).
Cyclopaedia of American Literature (1855)
This vast multi-volume set was compiled by brothers Everett Augustus Duyckinck & George Long Duyckinck who together edited The Literary World, a New York literary journal, and who inadvertently dominated the New York publishing scene in the 1840s-1850s. The second volume of this “Cyclopaedia” includes 4 poems by and a brief biographical sketch of SHW (beginning on page 487).
pamphlets + booklets +
intros.
Pamphlets and booklets were often produced by religious or political societies in the 19th century, occasionally as position pieces and more often to commemorate an occasion within their society.
Liberty Chimes (1845)
In 1845, the Providence chapter of the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society (of which SHW was a member) published a collection of 19 pieces written in support of the principles that undergird civil equality. This collection, which includes both essays and poems in its 148 pages, features two poems contributed by SHW.
A Discourse, Delivered before the Rhode-Island Historical Society (1847)
On January 13, 1847, the Rhode-Island Historical Society hosted a lecture for their society members. This lecture was given by none other than the Honorable Job Durfee, Chief Justice of Rhode Island, on none other than Rhode Island’s favorite founder, Roger Williams. Immediately after this lecture, SHW recited an original poem on Roger Williams before the assembly. The Society subsequently published both texts in a 47-page pamphlet for distribution amongst their members.
Proceedings at the Dedication of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Providence (1871)
After the conclusion of the American Civil War, the state of Rhode Island moved to establish a memorial in honor of the 1,727 Rhode Island men killed in that conflict; in 1871, the state succeeded in erecting a 40 ft. statue named the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument at the center of downtown Providence. The installation of the monument was accompanied by a dedicatory ceremony on September 15, 1871, a public event that featured speeches, prayers, and a memorial hymn written for the occasion by SHW. This hymn was performed by a 300-member choir before approximately 2300 attendees, including statesmen, Civil War veterans, and the families of the deceased.
To further commemorate the occasion, the city produced this pamphlet, which outlines the events of the day and includes a transcript of the full speech of dedication, the text of SHW’s memorial hymn, and a list of the soldiers whose names are inscribed on the statue.
Ceremonies at the Unveiling of the Monument to Roger Williams (1877)
On October 15, 1877, the city of Providence unveiled a monument in honor of Roger Williams, famed founder of Rhode Island and advocate for religious and civil freedoms. This unveiling of this 27 ft. statue was accompanied by a dedicatory ceremony in which the moment of the statue’s unveiling was signaled by a “band” and children’s choir performing SHW’s poem “Roger Williams.”
To further commemorate the occasion, the city produced this pamphlet, which describes the statue’s appearance and location, outlines the proposal history of the statue, and provides transcripts of SHW’s poem and the speeches delivered by other dignitaries at the event.
Introductory Letter to The Life and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Eugene L. Didier (1879)
After working closely with Eugene L. Didier for several years on his biography of Poe, SHW penned an introductory letter to that biography expressing her delight at its completion and offering thoughts of her own regarding Poe’s reputation.
journal submissions.
Poetry
“The Blind Man’s Lay” (July 1828). Published under the name “Helen” in The Ladies’ Magazine (edited by Sarah Josepha Hale): Vol. I, no. 7, pages 294-96.
“To the Spirit of Poetry” (October 1828). Published under the name “Helen” in The Ladies’ Magazine (edited by Sarah Josepha Hale): Vol. I, no. 10, pages 457-458.
“Retrospection” (January 1829). Published under the name “Helen” in The Ladies’ Magazine (edited by Sarah Josepha Hale): Vol. II, no. 1, pages 22-23.
“To a Withered Rose” (April 1830). Published under the name “Helen” in The Ladies’ Magazine (edited by Sarah Josepha Hale): Vol. III, no. 4, pages 158-160.
“To ------. [Fond dreamer! were it mine to trace thy future destiny.]” (February 1837). Published under the name “Mrs. S. H. Whitman” in Godey’s Lady’s Book (edited by Sarah Josepha Hale): Vol. XIV, no. 2, page 85.
“Stanzas, A September Evening on the Banks of the Moshassuck” (November 1839). Published under the name “Sarah H. Whitman” in The Knickerbocker: or, New-York Monthly Magazine (edited by Lewis Gaylord Clark): Vol. XIV, no. 5, pg 419.
“A Vision of the Night” (February 1846). Published under the name “Sarah H. Whitman” in The United States Democratic Magazine and Review (edited by John L. O’Sullivan): Vol. XVIII, no. 92, page 116-118.
“Lines on Hoppin’s Statue of David” (July 1847). Published under the name “Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman” in The Columbian (edited by John Inman & Robert A. West): Vol. VIII, no. 7, page 46.
“The Golden Ball. A tale of Faerie.” (September 1847). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in The Union Magazine Literature & Art (edited by Caroline M. Kirkland): Vol. I, no. 3, pages 137-138.
“A Still Day in Autumn” (July 1848). Published under the name “Mrs. Sarah H. Whitman” in The Union Magazine Literature & Art (edited by Caroline M. Kirkland): Vol. III, no. 1, page 37.
“The Sleeping Beauty, ‘A Tale of Forests and Enchantments Drear’” (August 1848). Published under the name “Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman” with her sister Anna Marsh Power in The Union Magazine Literature & Art (edited by Caroline M. Kirkland): Vol. III, no. 2, page 55.
“The Maiden’s Dream” (October 1848). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in The Union Magazine Literature & Art, (edited by Caroline M. Kirkland): Vol. II, no. 4, page 151.
“Cinderella: A Fairy Ballad” (December 1848). Published under the name “Sarah H. Whitman” with her sister Anna Marsh Power in The Union Magazine Literature & Art (edited by Caroline M. Kirkland): Vol. III, no. 6, pages 261-262.
“Lines - I bade thee stay” (June 1849). Published under the name “Mrs. Sarah H. Whitman” in the Southern Literary Messenger (edited by Thomas Willis White): Vol. XV, no. 6, pg. 362.
“Lines” (July 1849). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XXXV, no. 1, pg. 303.
“The Phantom Voice” (January 1850). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XXXVI, no. 1, pg. 91.
“To Arcturus” (June 1850). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XXXVI, no. 6, pg. 383.
“To the Morning Glory” (March 1851). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XXXVIII, no. 3, pg. 206
“Stanzas - I wander in dreams” (November 1851). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XXXIX, no. 5, pg. 295.
“Moonrise in May” (December 1851). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George R. Graham): Vol. XXXIX, no. 6, page 351.
“Stanzas - Tell him I lingered” (May 1852). Published under the name “Sarah Helen Whitman” in Graham’s Magazine (edited by George Rex Graham): Vol. XL, no. 5, pg. 472.
Prose
“The Scenery of Autumn” (November 30, 1833). Published under the name “Egeria” in Literary Journal, and Weekly Register of Science and the Arts (edited by J. Knowles), Vol. 1, no. 26, pg 205.
"Character and Writings of Shelley" (January 11, 1834). Published under the name “Egeria” in Literary Journal, and Weekly Register of Science and the Arts (edited by J. Knowles), Vol. 1, no. 32, pg. 252-253. (Begins in upper right hand corner of target page.)
“Review of ‘Conversations with Goethe in the Last Years of His Life’ translated from the German of Eckermann” (January 1840). Published under the by-line “Providence, August 15, 1829” in the Boston Quarterly Review, Vol. 3, pp. 20-57.
“Emerson’s Essays” (June 1845). Published under the name “A Disciple” in the United States Magazine, and Democratic Review (edited by John O’Sullivan), Vol 16, no. 84, pg. 589-602.
“Our Window” (October 1847). Published under the name “S. H. W.” in Emerson’s Magazine and Putnam’s Monthly (edited by J. M. Emerson & George Palmer Putnam), Vol. 5, no. 4, pg. 540-542. [reprinted from The Providence Daily]
“The Books of Six Months Ago” (September 1856). Published under the name “Helen” in the Southern Literary Messenger (edited by Thomas Willis White), Vol. 13, no. 3, pg. 177-82.
“To the Editor of the American Monthly” (April 1865). Published under the name “S. H. W.” in The Knickerbocker: or, New-York Monthly Magazine (edited by Lewis Gaylord Clark), Vol. 65, no. 4, pg. 381-82. (This letter explores the subject of the etymology of the name “Poe” and its possible connection to her maiden name, Power.)
Translations
“The Dying Hero” (February 1839). Translated from the German of Uhland by “S. H. Whitman” in The Knickerbocker: or, New-York Monthly Magazine (edited by Lewis Gaylord Clark), Vol. 13, no. 2, pg. 134-35.
“Leonara. A Tale of the Battle of Prague: From the German” (March 1829). Translated from the German by “Sarah H. Whitman” in The Knickerbocker: or, New-York Monthly Magazine (edited by Lewis Gaylord Clark), Vol. 13, no. 3, pg. 197-98.
“The Lost Church” (November 1839). Translated from the German of Uhland by “S. H. W.” in The Knickerbocker: or, New-York Monthly Magazine (edited by Lewis Gaylord Clark), Vol. 14, pg. 430-431.
gift books.
Although it was in England that they first came into vogue, gift books quickly sped their way to American shores where they found an eager market. A hybrid between magazine and book, gift books collected poems, short stories, and essays written in the previous year into a single lavishly bound and decorated hardcover or leather volume. Gift books were typically published in the autumn and made popular holiday presents.
“Communion with Nature” (1837). Published under the name “Mrs. S. H. Whitman” in The Token, a gift book edited by S. G. Goodrich (pages 76-79).
“An Autumn Walk” (1838). Published under the name “Sarah H. Whitman” in The Token, a gift book edited by S. G. Goodrich (pages 128-132).
“Early Flowers” (1846). Published under the name “Mrs. Whitman” in The Moss Rose, a gift book edited by S. G. Goodrich (pages 29-32). First appeared in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir (1830) edited by S. G. Goodrich.
“Lines Suggested by a Picture” (1846). Published under the name “Mrs. Whitman” in The Moss Rose, a gift book edited by S. G. Goodrich (pages 95-97). First appeared in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir (1830) edited by S. G. Goodrich.
“A November Landscape” (1846). Published under the name “Mrs. Whitman” in The Moss Rose, a gift book edited by S. G. Goodrich (pages 198). First appeared in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir (1840), edited by S. G. Goodrich.
“A Green and Silent Spot Among the Hills” (1847). Published under the name “Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman” in The Rainbow, a gift book edited by A. J. McDonald (page 92-94).
“Early Flowers” (1848). Published under the name “Mrs. Whitman” in The Moss Rose, a gift book edited by Alfred A. Phillips (page 34-36).
“Woman’s Love” (1853). Published under the name “Mrs. Whitman” in The Sons of Temperance Offering, a gift book edited by T. S. Arthur (page 23). Also in The Moss Rose (1854).
“Sonnet: When first I looked” (1856). Published under the name “S. H. Whitman” in Heart-Songs: A Book for the Gift-Season, published by Crosby, Nichols, and Company (page 85).
archive.
Towards the end of her life, SHW redirected the archival skills she’d developed while assembling the manuscript materials of Edgar Allan Poe and utilized them to construct a small archive of her own family’s history. These papers, which are now housed in the Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division, include genealogical records, property deeds, stock certificates, newspaper clippings, and letters.
This collection has not yet been digitized, but a list of the materials in the collection is available online.