Webster, Worcester and the Dictionary Wars, Part 1

The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder. Research: Beauchamp, Jereboam O. “The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp (written by himself) who was executed at Frankfort, Ky., for the murder of Col. Solomon P. Sharp, a member of the legislature, and late attorney-general of Ky. To which is added some poetical pieces written by Mrs. Ann Beauchamp, who voluntarily put a period to her existence on the day of the execution of her husband, and was buried in the same grave with him.” H.T. Goodsell. Kentucky. https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sat1109 “Beauchamp’s Trial.” The Frankfort Argus. May 10, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1040984938/?match=1&terms=beauchamp Bruce, Dickson D. “The Kentucky Tragedy: A Story of Conflict and Change in Antebellum America.” Louisiana State University Press. 2006. Coleman, J. Winston, Jr. “THE BEAUCHAMP - SHARP TRAGEDY: An Episode of Kentucky History During the Middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. Frankfurt, KY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9&format=plaintext Coleman, J. Winston. “The Beauchamp-Sharp tragedy; an episode of Kentucky history during the middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9 Cooke, J.W. “THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL SOLOMON P. SHARP PART 1: UPRIGHTNESS AND INVENTIONS; SNARES AND NETS.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 72, No. 1. January 1998. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/72-1-3_The-Life-and-Death-of-Colonel-Solomon-P.-Sharp-part-1-Uprightness-and-Inventions-Snares-and-Net_Cooke-J.W..pdf “Horrible Assassination.” The Frankfort Argus. Nov. 9. 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044971148/?match=1&terms=solomon%20sharp Jillson, Willard Rouse. “THE BEAUCHAMP—SHARP TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 36, no. 114, 1938, pp. 54–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23371707 Kimball, William J. “The ‘Kentucky Tragedy:’ Romance or Politics.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 48. 1974. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/48-1-3_The-Kentucky-Tragedy-Romance-of-Politics_Kimball-William-J..pdf “The Murderer od Col. Sharp.” Republican Banner. Nov. 28, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/603858007/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp “The Mutilated Act.” Lexington Weekly Press. June 20, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1183393429/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp “Romantic 1825 Tragedy.” Kentucky Historical Society. https://history.ky.gov/markers/romantic-1825-tragedy Schoenbachler, Matthew G. “Murder and Madness: The Myth of the Kentucky Tragedy.” University Press of Kentucky. 2009. Gates, W. B. “William Gilmore Simms and the Kentucky Tragedy.” American Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, 1960, pp. 158–66. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2922674 “To the Public.” Woodstock Observer and Windsor and Orange County Gazette. Aug, 29, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/489194545/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Kesä 36min

This 2014 episode covers transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. She became famous, in part, for participating in the Stonewall riots, and she spent her life campaigning bravely, stridently and vocally for the rights of gay and transgender people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Kesä 28min

Rosina Bulwer-Lytton week generates discussion of her relationship with Edward, including many people who sided with him over the years despite allegations of abuse and infidelity. Tracy and Holly also discuss the couple’s daughter’s death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Kesä 18min

Once Rosina Bulwer-Lytton and her husband Edward separated, his life seemed to become more and more successful while she struggled with finances. The estranged couple then spent years battling very publicly until Edward had Rosina committed. Research: “A Scene at the Hertfordshire Election.” The Tiverton Gazette. 6/29/1858. https://www.newspapers.com/image/803824054/ Blain, Virginia. “Rosina Bulwer Lytton and the Rage of the Unheard.” Huntington Library Quarterly , Summer, 1990, Vol. 53, No. 3. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3817439 Brown, Andrew. "Lytton, Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer [formerly Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer], first Baron Lytton (1803–1873), writer and politician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press. Date of access 4 Jun. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-17314 Bulwer-Lytton, Rosina. “Lady Bulwer Lytton's Appeal to the Justice and Charity of the English Public.” By and For the Author. 1857. Devey, Louisa, editor. “Letters of the late Edward Bulwer, lord Lytton, to his wife.” New York : G. W. Dillingham. 1889. Devey, Louisa. “Life of Rosina, Lady Lytton: With Numerous Extracts from Her Ms. Autobiography and Other Original Documents.” London, Swan Sonnschein, Lowery & Co. 1887. Flynn, Michael J. “Dickens, Rosina Bulwer Lytton, and the ‘Guilt’ of Literature and Art.” Dickens Quarterly, March 2012, Vol. 29, No. 1 (March 2012). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45292582 King, Cornelia. “Getting Even: The Mighty Pen of Lady Bulwer Lytton.” The Library Company of Philadelphia. 5/10/2022. https://librarycompany.org/2022/05/10/getting-even/ Latané, D.E. “Edward Bulwer Lytton’s committal of his wife Rosina to a private mental asylum in 1858.” Victorian Web. https://victorianweb.org/authors/bulwer/latane.html McFadden, Margaret. “Anna Doyle Wheeler (1785-1848): Philosopher, Socialist, Feminist.” Hypatia, vol. 4, no. 1, 1989, pp. 91–101. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3809936. Accessed 3 June 2025. Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. "Fame, notoriety and madness: Edward Bulwer-Lytton paying the price of greatness." Critical Survey, vol. 13, no. 2, May 2001, pp. 115+. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A80191856/LitRC?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=2669a158. Accessed 27 May 2025. Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. "Lytton, Rosina Anne Doyle Bulwer [née Rosina Anne Doyle Wheeler], Lady Lytton (1802–1882), novelist." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 28 May. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-17316 Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. “‘The Very Worst Woman I Ever Heard of’: Rosina Bulwer Lytton and Biography as Vindication.” Women's Writing, 25:2, 253-267, DOI: 10.1080/09699082.2017.1387338 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Kesä 41min

After a difficult childhood, Rosina Bulwer-Lytton landed in a marriage that quickly turned chaotic and stressful, and then became abusive. Part one covers the period of her life up to their separation. Research: “A Scene at the Hertfordshire Election.” The Tiverton Gazette. 6/29/1858. https://www.newspapers.com/image/803824054/ Blain, Virginia. “Rosina Bulwer Lytton and the Rage of the Unheard.” Huntington Library Quarterly , Summer, 1990, Vol. 53, No. 3. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3817439 Brown, Andrew. "Lytton, Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer [formerly Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer], first Baron Lytton (1803–1873), writer and politician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press. Date of access 4 Jun. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-17314 Bulwer-Lytton, Rosina. “Lady Bulwer Lytton's Appeal to the Justice and Charity of the English Public.” By and For the Author. 1857. Devey, Louisa, editor. “Letters of the late Edward Bulwer, lord Lytton, to his wife.” New York : G. W. Dillingham. 1889. Devey, Louisa. “Life of Rosina, Lady Lytton: With Numerous Extracts from Her Ms. Autobiography and Other Original Documents.” London, Swan Sonnschein, Lowery & Co. 1887. Flynn, Michael J. “Dickens, Rosina Bulwer Lytton, and the ‘Guilt’ of Literature and Art.” Dickens Quarterly, March 2012, Vol. 29, No. 1 (March 2012). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45292582 King, Cornelia. “Getting Even: The Mighty Pen of Lady Bulwer Lytton.” The Library Company of Philadelphia. 5/10/2022. https://librarycompany.org/2022/05/10/getting-even/ Latané, D.E. “Edward Bulwer Lytton’s committal of his wife Rosina to a private mental asylum in 1858.” Victorian Web. https://victorianweb.org/authors/bulwer/latane.html McFadden, Margaret. “Anna Doyle Wheeler (1785-1848): Philosopher, Socialist, Feminist.” Hypatia, vol. 4, no. 1, 1989, pp. 91–101. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3809936. Accessed 3 June 2025. Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. "Fame, notoriety and madness: Edward Bulwer-Lytton paying the price of greatness." Critical Survey, vol. 13, no. 2, May 2001, pp. 115+. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A80191856/LitRC?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=2669a158. Accessed 27 May 2025. Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. "Lytton, Rosina Anne Doyle Bulwer [née Rosina Anne Doyle Wheeler], Lady Lytton (1802–1882), novelist." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 08, 2009. Oxford University Press. Date of access 28 May. 2025, https://www-oxforddnb-com.proxy.bostonathenaeum.org/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-17316 Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. “‘The Very Worst Woman I Ever Heard of’: Rosina Bulwer Lytton and Biography as Vindication.” Women's Writing, 25:2, 253-267, DOI: 10.1080/09699082.2017.1387338 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Kesä 36min

This 2017 episode covers Theodosia Burr Alston, Aaron Burr's incredibly smart and well educated daughter. She vanished without a trace as an adult, and her ultimate fate is still a matter of debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Kesä 34min

Tracy and Holly share experiences of having their hearts monitored using EKG technology. They also talk about whether or not Albert Bierstadt had any natural talent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Kesä 28min

Albert Bierstadt’s story runs counter to the romanticized idea of a passionate starving artist. He was strategic in his career, selecting imagery that he knew would appeal to U.S. audiences, and monetizing his art outside of selling paintings. Research: Appman, Sarah Bean. “How One Building Turned Greenwich Village Into an Artists’ Mecca.” Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. August 6, 2019. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2019/08/06/how-one-building-turned-greenwich-village-into-an-artists-mecca/ “Albert Bierstadt Dead.” Indianapolis News. Feb. 19, 1902. https://www.newspapers.com/image/37784929/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt Avery, Kevin J. “Hudson River School.” The Met. Oct. 1, 2004. https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-hudson-river-school “Bierstadt Painting Surfaces After 100 Years.” Greenville News. June 7, 1990. https://www.newspapers.com/image/192068392/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt%20Lucerne “Dealer Gets Bargain on Lost Art.” The News Tribune. Oct. 14, 1990. https://www.newspapers.com/image/738127494/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt%20Lucerne The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Düsseldorf school". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Mar. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dusseldorf-school “Fine Paintings.” Boston Evening Transcript. May 26, 1857. https://www.newspapers.com/image/734940677/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt Hassrick, Peter H., et al. “Albert Bierstadt: Witness to a Changing West.” University of Oklahoma Press. 2018. “Jan. 7, 1830, Albert Bierstadt was born.” Boston Evening Transcript. Jan. 7, 1902. https://www.newspapers.com/image/735167933/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt “Look at This.” Boston Evening Transcript. Dec. 19, 1850. https://www.newspapers.com/image/735037015/?match=1&terms=Albert%20Bierstadt “Meet the artists of the Hudson River School and visit the places in nature that they painted and made famous.” Hudson River School Art Trail. https://www.hudsonriverschool.org/artists “Albert Bierstadt.” The Art Story. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bierstadt-albert/ “Mission.” National Academy of Design. https://nationalacademy.org/the-academy/about-us Quinn, Karen. “American Landscape Painting: Albert Bierstadt and the American Land.” Museum of Fine Arts Boston. February 13, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phAETFErwRU&t=9s “Roman Fish Market. Arch of Octavius.” Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. De Young Museum. https://www.famsf.org/artworks/roman-fish-market-arch-of-octavius See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Kesä 38min