Jane Maria Read (October 4, 1853 – ?) was an American poet and teacher.
Early life and education
Jane Maria Read was born in
Barnstable, Massachusetts
The Town of Barnstable ( ) is a town in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod, and is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipaliti ...
, October 4, 1853. She was the daughter of William and Susan Maritta (Austin) Read. Her father, Rev. Read, was a Baptist clergyman. She came from old colonial families on both sides, and her ancestors were among the early English pioneers. Until six years of age, her home was in
. In 1859, her parents moved to the seacoast of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, where they lived till 1865, at that time returning to Massachusetts.
Her literary taste began early to be developed in her home, where she was wont to listen absorbed to the reading of history, travels, and ''The Poetical Works Of Sir
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
'', when too young to enjoy reading them alone. During her school life, and subsequently, her love of poetry increased year by year. She studied at Newell's Private School,
Wilbraham, Massachusetts
Wilbraham is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb of the City of Springfield, and part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,613 at the 2020 census.
Part of the town comprises ...
; Burnett's English Classical Institute, Springfield,
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...
; and in the
Coburn Classical Institute
The Coburn Classical Institute was a college preparatory school in Waterville, Maine, which operated from 1828–1970.
Waterville Academy
In its early years, Waterville College (now Colby College) had maintained a Latin school in the college bui ...
, in
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...
, for several years, though ill health compelled her to leave during the last year of her course, without graduating. Her classical instruction included art under
Childe Hassam
Frederick Childe Hassam (; October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressioni ...
,
John Joseph Enneking
John Joseph Enneking (October 4, 1841 – November 16, 1916) was an American Impressionist painter associated with the Boston School.
Biography
Enneking was born of German ancestry in Minster, Ohio. He was educated at Mount St. Mary's C ...
,
Emil Carlsen
Soren Emil Carlsen (October 19, 1853 – January 2, 1932, New York City, U.S.) was an American Impressionist painter who emigrated to the United States from Denmark. He became known for his still lifes. Later in his career, Carlsen expanded his r ...
, and others.
Career
Read began to publish her poems in 1874, in various magazines and newspapers, and in 1887, she published a volume of verse entitled ''Between the Centuries, and Other Poems''. She contributed, among others, to the ''Magazine of Poetry''. Besides her poetical work, she was an artist of marked talent, and made a specialty of portraits and animal pictures in oil colors.
She taught languages, mathematics and other branches until about 1885. She also taught drawing, painting and sketching from nature in various towns of Massachusetts for fifteen years.
Personal life
Read was a Baptist, and a woman of broad views, liberal culture and versatility. Her home was in
Coldbrook Springs, Massachusetts, where her father was in charge of a church. Later, she resided in
Still River, Massachusetts
Still River is a village located on the west side of the town of Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
Noted for its views of Mount Wachusett, Still River is home to Saint Benedict Abbey, St. Benedict Center, Harvard His ...
.
Style and themes
Much of Read's poetry was of the introspective kind, with a strong element of the religious and the sentimental. Having been presented with a copy of
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 ...
's poems, for months, it was her constant companion, the more so because the state of her health prevented her from mingling with others outside of her home. Many of the poems she read and re-read until she could easily repeat them, and all became quite familiar. This she accepted as a great truth, and in her writing, Read looked within her own heart for the lessons reflected there from nature. A close and sympathetic observer of nature, almost every phase of it had a voice for her. Brought up in a family where she was forced to see the burdens of others, she also wrote for "burden-bearers", and sought to show the brighter side to those whose lives had difficulties. Thus, many of her poems were included the calmness of her own Christian faith.
Selected works
* ''Between the centuries and other poems'', 1887
References
Attribution
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Jane Maria
1853 births
19th-century American painters
19th-century American poets
19th-century American women writers
19th-century American educators
19th-century American women artists
19th-century American women educators
People from Barnstable, Massachusetts
Writers from Massachusetts
Painters from Massachusetts
American women painters
American women poets
Educators from Massachusetts
Year of death unknown
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century