- Anne Gilchrist
Anne Gilchrist (1828 – 1885), née Burrows, was an English
writer who travelled to theUnited States , initially to visitWalt Whitman .She came from a distinguished
Essex family, and marriedAlexander Gilchrist in 1851. The marriage, one of intellectual equals, was cut short when Alexander died of scarlet fever in 1861. She completed his "Life of Blake " and was an active contributor to magazines.Anne is perhaps best-known for developing a deep attachment to Walt Whitman when she read "
Leaves of Grass " in 1869, and for writing the first great criticism of that work. When she eventually travelled to Philadelphia, in 1876, she met Whitman and they formed a lasting friendship.She moved to New England in 1878, and returned to England the following year. Later, she published a biography of
Mary Lamb .She and Alexander had four children: Percy, Beatrice, Herbert, and Grace. One of the reasons for the family’s move to Philadelphia was Beatrice's desire to attend medical school. She eventually became a physician in
Edinburgh , but took her own life shortly thereafter. Percy had a successful career in themining industry, and Herbert was a minor painter.References
* [http://www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/mss/gilchrist/gilchristbio.html Family biography from the University of Pennsylvania]
Further reading
* "Walt Whitman's Mrs. G: A Biography of Anne Gilchrist" (1991), Marion Walker Alcaro, ISBN 0-8386-3381-1.
* "Anne Gilchrist: Life and Writings" (Unwin, 1887) ed. Herbert Harlakenden Gilchrist.
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