Cecilia Viets Jamison (1837 – April 11, 1909) was a British North America-born American writer.
The daughter of Viets and Elizabeth Bruce Dakin, she was born Cecilia Viets Dakin in
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. A port town, industries include fishing, and tourism. It is the terminus of a ferry service to Bar Harbor, Maine, run by Bay Ferries.
History
Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the regi ...
and moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
with her family during her mid-teens. She studied at private schools in Canada,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Boston and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Following her first marriage, Jamison went on to study art in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
for three years. There, she met
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
, who encouraged her in her writing and supported the publication of her book ''Woven of Many Threads'' in 1872. On her return to the United States, she participated in the literary
salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
of
Mollie Evelyn Moore Davis. Jamison contributed to ''
Harper's Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
'', ''
Scribner's Magazine'', ''
Appletons' Journal'', ''
St. Nicholas Magazine
''St. Nicholas Magazine'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by th ...
'' and the ''
Journal of American Folklore''.
[
Her earliest writings such as ''Something to Do: A Novel'' (1871) and ''A Crown from the Spear'' (1872) were mainly set in Europe and targeted at an adult audience. In 1891, she began writing for young audiences with ''Lady Jane''; set in , it was translated into French, Italian, German and Norwegian.][
After her second husband's death in 1902, she returned to . She died in Roxbury seven years later from heart disease.]
Selected works
* ''Woven of Many Threads'' (1871)
* ''Something to Do: A Novel'' (1871)
* ''A Crown from the Spear'' (1872)
* ''My Bonnie Lass'' (1877)
* ''The Story of an Enthusiast: Told by Himself'' (1888)
* ''Lady Jane'' (1891)
* ''Toinette's Phillip'' (1894)
* ''Seraph, the Little Violiniste'' (1896)
* ''Thistledown'' (1903)
* ''The Penhallow Family'' (1905)
[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamison, Cecilia Viets
1837 births
1909 deaths
American women writers
Emigrants from British North America to the United States