I had some things that I called mine –
F101
A Timely Invitation to Support our Collections Work
What does it mean to discover a long-forgotten box filled with dozens of two-inch squares of delicate silk in surprisingly bold colors and patterns?
And what does it mean to recognize that some of those patterns are identical to items of Dickinson family clothing recently cleaned, tagged, and catalogued?
What does it mean to realize that each tiny square of silk is stitched to equally small pieces of paper? And then to notice that the bits of paper include tantalizing handwriting? Whose handwriting?
What can these pieces of material, attached to bits of envelopes, receipts, and invitations tell us about fine handwork, thrift, creativity and manufacturing? About the “slant of light” in the room where the stitcher – or stitchers – started, but never finished the quilt?
Welcome to collections management at the Emily Dickinson Museum.
With support from a federal grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Emily Dickinson Museum is working to preserve, catalog, and digitize records related to its collection and to locate Dickinson-related materials at other institutions. Museum staff and Amherst College interns digitized institutional records, including historic structures reports, catalog cards from the 1980s, and old photos of objects that had remained in place since the early 20th century, and added relevant information from these records into our publicly accessible collections database. Museum staff also conducted surveys of Dickinson material at other institutions, including Amherst College Library, Jones Library, Mount Holyoke College, Harvard University, Brown University, and Yale University, in order to gather information on the extent of primary sources related to EDM collections objects.
“This project has resulted in a better understanding of the Museum’s collections objects, enabling the Museum to interpret the poet’s life and times more fully, and provide public and scholarly access to an important cultural collection.” – Megan Ramsey, Collections Manager
For example, this image of Susan Dickinson, sister-in-law to Emily Dickinson and resident of The Evergreens, is held in the collection of Houghton Library at Harvard University. The image was taken in a photography studio in Germany during one of Susan’s trips to Europe with her daughter, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, circa 1910. The articles of clothing and accessories worn by Susan in this photo are all represented in the Museum’s collection, some of which can be accessed here:
Ensemble dress: 2023.3.260a-b: Database record
Hat: 2023.6.178: Database record
Eyeglasses: 2021.7.458: Database record
By linking the Houghton Library photo and the circumstances of its creation with the physical objects in our collection, we now understand the larger context of these objects in terms of the associated person, her interests and activities, and the timeline of her life. Archival materials are the key to unlocking new interpretations within the world of Emily Dickinson. As we explore the objects in our collection, we find ourselves asking questions such as:
How might a handwritten recipe inform plans to restore the north wing of the Homestead, which housed the kitchen, dining room, pantry and domestic labor living spaces?
What can the birth, and death, of a beloved child help us to understand about the choice of decor in The Evergreens?
What insights can middle-school teachers and students gain about the Civil War by working with museum educators to look closely at a children’s toy from the era?
These are just some of the questions that our ongoing collections work will answer.
How You Can Help
On April 9, 2025, the Museum received notice that our federal IMLS grant supporting this project had been terminated. We invite you to help us cover the gap in funding so we can complete the project in full and on schedule by the end of 2025. By supporting our Collections Project you will be supporting all of the work essential to our mission.
“Our work to amplify Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice – by opening her family homes to visitors, by interpretive and educational use of her family’s material legacy, by holding up her enduring poetry – continues with your support and our unending gratitude.” – Jane Wald, Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director
To learn more about this timely initiative, please contact Senior Director of Development Erin Martin: erimartin@emilydickinsonmuseum.org