author
Laurence Hutton
1843–1904
An American essayist, critic, and editor remembered for lively literary writing and a remarkable passion for collecting masks, portraits, and literary memorabilia. His career moved from newspaper criticism to Harper’s Magazine and then to Princeton, where his love of books and culture left a lasting mark.
4 Audiobooks
Literary Landmarks of Venice
by Laurence Hutton
A Boy I Knew and Four Dogs
by Laurence Hutton
Portraits in Plaster, from the Collection of Laurence Hutton
by Laurence Hutton
Curiosities of the American Stage
by Laurence Hutton
About the author
Born in New York City on August 8, 1843, Laurence Hutton became known as an American essayist and critic. He wrote for newspapers and magazines from an early age, and he also spent many summers traveling abroad, experiences that helped shape his broad literary interests.
Hutton worked as a dramatic critic for the New York Evening Mail and later served as literary editor of Harper’s Magazine, where he oversaw the long-running "Literary Notes" department from 1886 to 1898. His writing was noted for being informed, conversational, and deeply engaged with books, theater, and the people behind them.
In his later years, he was honored by Princeton University and lectured there in English literature from 1901 until his death on June 10, 1904. He was also an avid collector, and his collections of manuscripts, portraits, and life and death masks became an important part of Princeton’s cultural holdings, helping preserve the literary world he cared about so much.