Anna Alcott Pratt

Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt (March 16, 1831 – July 13, 1893) was the elder sister of American novelist Louisa May Alcott. She was the basis for the character Margaret "Meg" of "Little Women" (1868), her sister's classic, semi-autobiographical novel. The eldest of the four Alcott sisters (being herself, Louisa, Beth, and May), Anna is remembered as a dutiful, self-sacrificing and loving sister, wife and mother who conformed to the mold of Victorian womanhood more easily than did her sisters. To her family members, she served as an emotional shelter.

Birth and childhood

Anna Bronson Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on March 16, 1831. She was homeschooled by her parents, Amos Bronson Alcott and Abby May, and excelled in her studies.

From an early age, Anna was "stage-struck" and secretly longed "to shine before the world as a great actress or "prima donna"." In her youth she and her sister Louisa created romantic melodramas which they performed for friends.

Celebrated wedding

In 1858, the year they moved to Orchard House, Louisa and Anna helped form the Concord Dramatic Union. Another member of the group was John Bridge Pratt. He and Anna fell in love while playing opposite each other in a play called "The Loan of a Lover." Anna is Meg in Little Women and the description of Meg’s wedding in the book is an actual description of Anna’s wedding. Anna and John were married in the parlor of Orchard House on May 23, 1860. Like Meg, Anna had two children, but Meg had a boy and a girl (Demi and Daisy), whereas Anna had two boys (Frederick and John).

Last years

Sadly, John died leaving Anna with their two young sons, Frederick and John. In 1877, with Louisa's help, Anna purchased the Thoreau House on Main Street in Concord. Her last years were spent caring for those she loved. She died in Concord, Massachusetts on July 17, 1893 and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord.

ource

[http://www.louisamayalcott.org] [http://www.alcottweb.com]