NEWSFLASH! Life Portrait of Virginia Poe Found
Over 150 years after her death, we finally know what Poe's wife looked like. The well-documented story was that when Virginia died of Consumption, Eddie and his Aunt realized they didn't have a picture of her. An artist was sent for, and the rather morbid result is shown above. Because of this, we assumed this was the only portrait that existed. Because we were not looking for another, we never found one. Until now. This beautiful portrait was brought to light by descendants of the Herrings, and was painted from life in late 1843, when Virginia was living with the Henry Herring family, at just about the time she first met Eddie. The portriat is now in the collection of Dr. Harry Lee Poe of the Richmond Poe Museum, and a copy is on display at the Poe House and Museum in Baltimore. What a find!
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NOTE. My father died August 15th at 8:40 AM. I was with him when he passed, along with Karen, my half-sister, and my mother. It was a peaceful death -- after a few moments of all of us holding his hand and speaking to him, he just slipped away. As you may know, I spent a good part of my life over the past 18 months looking after Dad, as he was unable to even stand without help. Just over a month ago, he broke his hip and had been in a nursing facility since. He had been deteriorating rapidly, both mentally and phyiscally, and after he was hospitalized, it was just a nosedive. At least he didn't have to linger and suffer for years. He also chose to die on my mother's birthday. The irony is killing me. "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
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Oh, yeah, and my girlfriend of over a decade tells me she just can't be my girlfriend. Just out of the blue. Just like that. A baseball bat to the back of the head and the earth drops from beneath my feet. For the moment, we're good friends and roomates -- perhaps that's where we're meant to be... But can right seem so wrong (Iggy says they'll hammer us "till wrong seems right," so why not?) We'll see where this goes. I'm still thinking it over, but I'm thinking its over...
The universe is doubtless unfolding
Exactly as it should
And all this remorse and foreboding
Won't do us any good
______
UPDATE. The script for my adaptation of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is just about finished... What do you think of the preliminary graphic?
Over 150 years after her death, we finally know what Poe's wife looked like. The well-documented story was that when Virginia died of Consumption, Eddie and his Aunt realized they didn't have a picture of her. An artist was sent for, and the rather morbid result is shown above. Because of this, we assumed this was the only portrait that existed. Because we were not looking for another, we never found one. Until now. This beautiful portrait was brought to light by descendants of the Herrings, and was painted from life in late 1843, when Virginia was living with the Henry Herring family, at just about the time she first met Eddie. The portriat is now in the collection of Dr. Harry Lee Poe of the Richmond Poe Museum, and a copy is on display at the Poe House and Museum in Baltimore. What a find!
______
NOTE. My father died August 15th at 8:40 AM. I was with him when he passed, along with Karen, my half-sister, and my mother. It was a peaceful death -- after a few moments of all of us holding his hand and speaking to him, he just slipped away. As you may know, I spent a good part of my life over the past 18 months looking after Dad, as he was unable to even stand without help. Just over a month ago, he broke his hip and had been in a nursing facility since. He had been deteriorating rapidly, both mentally and phyiscally, and after he was hospitalized, it was just a nosedive. At least he didn't have to linger and suffer for years. He also chose to die on my mother's birthday. The irony is killing me. "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
______
Oh, yeah, and my girlfriend of over a decade tells me she just can't be my girlfriend. Just out of the blue. Just like that. A baseball bat to the back of the head and the earth drops from beneath my feet. For the moment, we're good friends and roomates -- perhaps that's where we're meant to be... But can right seem so wrong (Iggy says they'll hammer us "till wrong seems right," so why not?) We'll see where this goes. I'm still thinking it over, but I'm thinking its over...
The universe is doubtless unfolding
Exactly as it should
And all this remorse and foreboding
Won't do us any good
______
UPDATE. The script for my adaptation of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is just about finished... What do you think of the preliminary graphic?
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
man... i really wanna see that show. the brain clenches that poster, by the way.
We've had many a confrontation, but in the end I've come back because I didn't want to go it alone and there he was with open arms, even though it seemed another let down was inevitable (a sign of deficit right? I don't believe in him and I don't believe I could ever marry him, but for now...)
I think when your girl friend says your personality is "too strong" she uses that to fill in the blank... a feeling that is at first inarticulatable. I've dealt with this a lot, and when you can't find the words to say what it is, it seems it doesn't exist and you can ignore that a lot easier, but slowly it will come in. Like you say, she just doesn't know (yet). Maybe what she means is that she doesn't feel that there is room for her and you're taking center stage without as much regard for her needs as she'd like?
Perhaps this is reconcilable? Sometimes you can work it through, and the first breakup is not truly the end, but after 15 years it seems to me I'm somehow being naive for suggesting that. My boyfriend and I have been through many breakups, and we've come some distance, but still, it's not good enough.
Talk to you soon, Johnny!