L. (Lewis) Whitehead

L. (Lewis) Whitehead is the credited author of New House That Jack Built. An Original American Version, published in 1865. Project Gutenberg lists the author as "Whitehead, L. (Lewis)," and the digitized text identifies the work more specifically as by L. Whitehead, Sr.

The book is an American reimagining of the old "House That Jack Built" form. Its language and framing place it firmly in the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, with strong emphasis on patriotism, free labor, and freedom. That gives Whitehead a small but distinctive place among 19th-century writers whose work reflected the political mood of their moment.

Very little reliable biographical information appears to be readily available beyond this book itself, so details about Whitehead's life have to be treated cautiously. Based on the surviving record here, Whitehead is best remembered for this one allegorical, historically rooted poem rather than for a well-documented literary career.