Emily's life at a glance
December 10, 1830
Emily Dickinson, the iconic American poet, was born on December 10th, 1830, cementing her as one of the most influential writers of the 19th century.December 19, 1830
Sue Huntington Gilbert Dickinson, who would later become one of the most influential figures in Emily's life is born only 9 days after Emily Dickinson, in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. Click the photo below to explore the life of Sue, her relationship with Emily and the many poems of her own.February 28, 1833:
Lavinia Norcross Dickinson, also known as "Vinnie" is born, named after their aunt; the youngest of the three Dickinson siblings.May 1833:
In 1840, the Dickinsons purchased and moved into a home (that is no longer standing) on North Pleasant Street, in Amherst.Following a financial crisis within the family, the Dickinson Family Homestead was sold to the Mack Family. The Dickinson family would continue to live in the Homestead as tenants of the Macks, living in the eastern half of the house.1855: Following the death of David Mack, the Dickinson family purchases and returns to the Homestead on Main Street. Later that year Edward Dickinson remodeled the home and constructed a small conservatory for Emily and Lavinia, in which Lavinia and Emily planted and cared for various exotic botanical specimens, a task which would ultimately become a very influential element in her poetry.1840-1847: Emily attends amherst academy
With an interest in botanical studies, Emily attended Amherst Academy for seven years from 1840-1847. Emily's sister, Lavinia, also began her studie there on September 7, 1840. The academy is also where Emily met Sue Gilbert, who attended Amherst Academy for one semester after moving to Amherst from Geneva, New York in 1847. By the time Emily Dickinson began her studies at Amherst Academy, she had also begun keeping a detailed Herbarium, pictured below.“Viny and I both go to school this term. We have a very fine school. There are 63 scholars. I have four studies. They are Mental Philosophy, Geology, Latin, and Botany. How large they sound, don’t they? I don’t believe you have such big studies.”– Emily Dickinson to Abiah Root, May 7, 1845 (L6)1847: Emily Attends mount holyoke seminary
Volcanoes: Mount Holyoke Seminiary is located on one of the oldest volcanic formations in the US; a probable influence towards Emily's usage of volcanoes symbolically in her poems.Similar to many other academic institutions of its era, Mount Holyoke College also held the belief that nurturing students' moral and religious development was integral to its mission. To foster this, they conducted revivals aimed at encouraging students to openly declare their faith. Students were categorized into three groups: those who professed their faith, those who aspired to, and those who felt spiritually adrift. Upon her enrollment, Dickinson found herself among the eighty who felt disconnected from faith, a sentiment that persisted for her and twenty-eight others throughout the academic year.1850: Emily's First poem is published
The earliest record of Emily Dickinson’s poetry in publication. “Magnum bonum, harem scarem” is published in the Amherst College Indicator, in the form of a Valentine's day letter.1858: earliest record of Emily constructing fascicles out of her poems
1861: the civil war begins; the start of Emily's most profound writing period, which will last until 1865
1886: Emily Dickinson passes away