Lydia Sigourney



Lydia Huntley Sigourney (née Lydia Howard Huntley) (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865) was an extremely popular American poet during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford." Most of her works were published with just her married name Mrs. Sigourney.

Letters to Young Ladies (1833)

 * Letters to Young Ladies, 16th edition (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1852)


 * [T]he strength of a nation, especially of a republican nation, is in the intelligent and well-ordered homes of the people.
 * Letter IV: "Industry", p. 75.


 * A disposition to dwell on the bright side of character, is like gold to the possessor.
 * Letter XI: "Cheerfulness", p. 181.


 * Pride is a fruitful source of uneasiness. It keeps the mind in disquiet. Too high an opinion of ourselves, involves the desire of impressing others with the same opinion. This is often attended with difficulty. If we do not succeed in inspiring them with an equal idea of our own merits, we shall be expecting more deference and regard than they are inclined to pay. So, pride will be disappointed and offended.
 * Letter XVI: "Self-Control", p. 263.

Letters to Mothers (1838)
Letters to Mothers, 2nd edition (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1839)
 * We speak of educating our children. Do we know that our children also educate us?
 * Letter II: "Influence of Children upon Parents", p. 18.


 * Mothers, whatever you wish your children to become, strive to exhibit in your own lives and conversation.
 * Letter VI: "Habit", p. 63.


 * The glorified spirit of the infant is a star to guide the mother to its own blissful clime.
 * Letter XXII: "Loss of Children", p. 262.

About

 * As a dedicated, successful writer, Lydia Sigourney violated essential elements of the very gender roles she celebrated. In the process, she offered young, aspiring women writers around the country an example of the possibilities of achieving both fame and economic reward.
 * Melissa Ladd Teed, Domesticity and Localism: Women's Public Identity in Nineteenth-Century Hartford, Connecticut (1999).