| The Lovers | |
|---|---|
| Sophia Amelia Peabody
(1809-71) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1809, the youngest of three sisters. She and her sisters Elizabeth and Mary were educated by their mother at her small private school. Elizabeth became a famous pioneer of kindergarten education. Sophia, though troubled by ill health for much of her life, was a good painter and a skillful copyist. From 1833-35 she lived in Cuba, in the hope that the climate might there improve her health. She also wrote articles that were published in American journals. After her marriage to Nathaniel Hawthorne she proved a supportive resourceful wife, at one time keeping the family finances afloat by making lampshades. They had three children: Una, Julian, and Rose. |
Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804-64) American novelist and short story writer, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father died when he was four. He and his sisters were educated by his uncle, and he then attended Bowdoin College in Maine. By 1842 he had a growing reputation as a short story writer but little income. In a period of unemployment between work for the customs service he wrote The Scarlet Letter (1850), at once hailed as a masterpiece. The novel that followed, The House of the Seven Gables, the story of a curse eventually lifted by love, solidified his reputation as a fine writer. From 1853-57 he served in England as American consul in Liverpool, and then visited Italy with his family. They returned to New England, where Hawthorne died at age 60. |
