When I began my trek years ago into the works of Mabel Loomis Todd in order to tell her Hog Island story, I found myself at the Sterling Library at Yale where the Todd Bingham family archive is housed. As a ten-year public school teacher at the time and a newly-initiated graduate student, it was the first time I had ever delved into anybody’s archive, let alone one cataloged at prestigious, ivy league Yale. It was a memorable experience for this Midwest kid to sit in the reading room, poring over boxes of files that allowed me to personally handle Mrs. Todd’s papers.
Back then, I was interested in finding materials related only to Hog Island in an archive collection that spanned “51 linear feet (124 boxes).” I read recently that the Todd-Bingham collection is a treasure trove for historical researchers since both Mrs. Todd and Mrs. Bingham seemed to save every scrap of paper they ever created. While I don’t know if that’s exactly true, the women surely had an eye on posterity as they worked on Emily Dickinson’s poetry and letters, as well as recording the myriad other things they experienced in their lives.
Lucky for me, there was a Hog Island section in the Yale collection that provided all I needed for my graduate project. Still, that left many, many boxes and files undiscovered at the time.
As mentioned before, my intention for The Dressy Adventuress is not to re-hash the Dickinson-Todd story told so well by Polly Longsworth, Richard B. Sewall, Lyndall Gordon, and other biographers. I am relying heavily on what those scholars have already reported to retell the Dickinson-Todd part of the story for my readers. I am attempting to look more deeply into Mrs. Todd’s affinity for Nature to flesh out a part of her story that has not been well told to date. Nature and Hog Island get mentions in most texts referred to above, but only briefly.
Recently I realized that I need to look more carefully into another part of Mrs. Todd’s archived works where I have not yet been: her journals and diaries. The Hog Island files worked well enough for grad work, but if I want to know more about what she was thinking summer 1908 when the Hog Island epic began, I really should look at her diaries and journals for insights.
While I was figuring I would need at least another week at Yale to see what I could find, I discovered that Mrs. Todd’s diaries and journals are available on microfilm via interlibrary loan. It would be much more cost effective if I could peruse those works here at home. Unfortunately, I have discovered that my home university will not let alumni -- even one expanding on work done as a graduate student -- to borrow works via ILL. But all is not lost. I am currently working with a Wright State faculty member to secure those journals and diaries for me. I am hopeful all will work out.
Still, there will have to be at least one more trip to the Sterling Library before I finish my book. In addition to assorted pieces of correspondence and lecture texts I’d like to get my hands on, Yale also holds “50.0 linear feet (94 boxes)” in the Todd-Bingham Picture Collection. I suspect there are a few gems therein that will enhance the appeal of my book. Now to find those images and make arrangements with Yale to publish them. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words -- and looks mighty good in publication.
In the meantime, I’m eager to get my hands on those journals and diaries. More on that adventure as it develops.
Image: Untitled (c. 1915) from The Todd-Bingham Picture Collection. I call it “High Tide at Mavooshen.” Foreground: the family launch, Takusan, flying Japanese colors. Background: A woman stands at the door of ‘the lobster house.’ Farther back in the woods: a torii gate. Japan-rich, indeed.
