Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words
May 11, 1853. I could not help thinking of Esther {a much-loved cousin who had recently died} a few evenings since when I was observing. A meteor flashed upon me suddenly, very bright, very short-lived; it seemed to me that it was sent for me especially, for it greeted me almost the first instant I looked up, and was gone in a second . . . it was as fleeting and as beautiful as the smile upon Esther’s face the last time I saw her.
Maria Mitchell would also write a poem about this much-loved cousin. I am unsure which side Esther was on – while we have a fairly extensive genealogy for William Mitchell’s side, there are still holes – and I have little for Lydia Coleman Mitchell, Maria’s mother.
This passage is interesting. For me, the fact that this dates to 1853 stands out. After the Great Fire of 1846, as I have noted before, Maria destroyed many of her personal papers and seems to have continued to do so well into the late 1850s. So this is one of the few bits from the early 1850s. I think it also illustrates just how sensitive Maria was and also how spiritual she was – relating that meteor to her cousin, Esther. You are never supposed to judge a book by its cover and that’s just what people do about Maria when they see her photograph. They think she looks grumpy or mean, even boring. You have to remember that a nineteenth century photograph was MUCH different than today – or even fifty years ago. A photograph in the 1800s was a most often posed studio affair that cost a great deal of money. A solemn occasion – nit a candid photograph. And the exposure time – buy the 1850s it was about twenty seconds (down from 20 minutes at first!) – so can YOU imagine waiting that long? And dental issues. Why smile if your teeth are in bad shape or even if you have to hold that firm smile for 20 seconds?!
My above diatribe means that people miss those things about Maria – they only see an image and pass judgment. She was creative, clever, intelligent – though she was a bit of a plugger and it did not come naturally! – loving, warm, funny – she had a great sense of humor! – and she had a way of looking at the world like few others.
As Maria once said – “Standing under the canopy of the stars you can scarcely do a petty deed or think a wicked thought.” (One of my favorites.) So maybe, Esther was up there sending out that shooting star to remind Maria that someplace in the infinite universe she lived on – even if just in Maria’s heart and mind’s eye.
JNLF
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