While in Lexington and Concord, I had the chance to see the home of the Alcott family - Bronson Alcott (father), Aba May Alcott (mother), Anna, Elizabeth, Louisa and May (daughters). Bronson was a Transcendentalist; he and many others believed in the ability of the soul to recognize the divine, connecting with the divine through nature, and the equality of ALL people. The family was frequently on the move, and Orchard House was the longest "permanent" home of the family. Bronson would start a school somewhere, and once it broke down, he would move and start another school somewhere else. He was always spending money on his ministries. Thus, the Alcotts were not very wealthy, until Louisa, the famous author of LITTLE WOMEN and many other books, began to make a name for herself as an author. As she became more successful, the house became a little more lavish.
The dining room was made up of a small table, set for four. (it was not an original piece. 88% of the furniture was original.). It had a beautiful rug on the floor, a bright chandelier in the ceiling. This room was used for the plays which the girls put on. Louisa often wrote and acted in the plays, along with her sister Anna, who was a natural on he stage. May did the scenery, for she was the artist of the family. She did more decorating than just the little bit of stage scenery. The whole house was filled with her drawings. Every painting in the house except for the family portraits were hers. Also in the dining room was Elizabeth's small, yet beautiful piano.
In the Living room, there was a larger piano. The living room was a darker green, which appeared very comfortable. A few pictures of the family were in this room. The living room is especially special because Louisa's sister Anna was married. She had a simple marriage, making her own dress out of gray silk, and inviting no one but hers and his family.
We went to a second story, and looked in on Louisa and Anna's bedroom. This was where Louisa wrote her famous LITTLE WOMEN, in nine months. She and Anna shared the room for a little while, so Louisa had a room to herself, which she greatly appreciated. Her bedroom contained a few windows, which she sat by, wiritng on a home made desk, courtesy of her father. There are two pictures of owls in her room. One is very ameture, yet still beautiful, and the other is very professional. Both were made by May, but during two different stages of her life. The more refined one was painted after her art training, to which Louisa had sent her. Both are flightless. This is because, once, there was a family of owls right in the front of the yard, and Louisa said they distracted her writing. So, May painted a flightless one that could not fly, or disrupt Louisa's work.
May's room was next. It was a blue color, which was her favorite hue. It was decorated all over - on the window sills, the closet doors, and ll over the walls - with her drawings and paintings. You could tell an artist lived there!
Her parent's room was the next stop. It was beautiful, and sweet. There were a few more portraits, and some quaint furniture which fitted the room beautifully. Adjoining it was a baby room. They had a reproduction of Anna's wedding dress displayed there.
Going down, we looked last on the study of the Alcott family. There, Bronson taught his daughters and others. There, he encouraged them to follow their dreams. He encouraged independence, helping the girls to realize that, no matter what the world said, they had the ability to support themselves. The study was a dark red, full of books, many of which were Louisa's works. It was a beautiful, heart warming house!
Signing off,
Madeline, cub. |
| This was a representation of the garden of the Alcott girls. Each had their own corner to plant what they wanted. |
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| Each corner was unique, showing the personalities of each individual girl. |
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