author
Caroline Sturgis Tappan
1819–1888
A poet and artist in the Transcendentalist circle, she moved through the world of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson while shaping a creative life of her own. Her work is remembered for its lyric feeling, visual imagination, and strong presence in the cultural life of 19th-century New England.
1 Audiobook
The Magician's Show Box, and Other Stories
by Caroline Sturgis Tappan, Lydia Maria Child
About the author
Born in Boston in 1818 and often known as Cary Sturgis, she was an American poet and artist associated with the Transcendentalists. She is especially remembered for her close friendships and correspondence with figures including Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson, which placed her at the heart of an important literary and intellectual community.
She published poems in several volumes and was also known for her drawings and watercolor sketches. Archival and historical sources describe her as a writer whose creative work deserves attention in its own right, not only for the famous names around her.
After her 1847 marriage to William Aspinwall Tappan, she became Caroline Sturgis Tappan. She spent much of her later life in Massachusetts, and her legacy now survives through her poetry, artwork, and letters.