Morilla Maria Norton

Born in Ogdensburg, New York, on September 22, 1865, Morilla M. Norton was described in Woman of the Century as a specialist in French literature. She was educated at home and in private schools in Boston, then spent the years from 1886 to 1891 in Europe, studying in places including Berlin, Paris, the Sorbonne, and the Collège de France.

Her strongest focus was French language and literature, though she also studied English literature, Italian history and art, and European political history. The same biographical source says she wrote with clarity and grace, and that her work appeared in publications such as the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Transcript, and the New York Observer.

After returning to the United States in 1891, she prepared lecture courses on French literature for literary clubs and classes. Even from the brief record that survives, she stands out as a deeply committed student of European culture who turned that learning into writing and public literary work.