“A Faithful Likeness”: Alice Barbour’s portrait of Mary Baker Eddy
Learn about portrait artist Alice Barbour’s iconic portrait of Mary Baker Eddy, completed in late 1910.
Learn about portrait artist Alice Barbour’s iconic portrait of Mary Baker Eddy, completed in late 1910.
In 1889 James Clare (J.C.) Derby (1867-1928), a resident of Concord, New Hampshire, repaired watches at 54 N. Main St. The Concord Directory records that he later worked at Holland & Derby at the same address. By 1898 his occupation was that of jeweler. Derby worked that same year with Mary Baker Eddy and Henry P. (H.P.) Moore, a local artist and photographer, to produce and issue a portrait of Eddy.…
In 1897 a diamond hair ornament, shaped like a crown, was given to Mary Baker Eddy. The ornament contains 12 diamonds, six large pearls, and 39 small pearls set in an 18-karat gold crown, with a band of indigo blue enamel across its middle. Engraved on the back is the inscription “Mother 1897.” The ornament is a “combination pin,” as described by its donor, Amanda Baird — meaning it could be worn as a hair pin or used as a brooch.
Calvin Frye worked for Mary Baker Eddy longer than anyone else, as both a secretary and bookkeeper. His service from 1882 to 1910 (with only one day of vacation!) is an incredible testament to his devotion to both Eddy and Christian Science, and to her appreciation of his talents.
The story of the “Subscription Edition1” began in 1900. William Dana Orcutt, who worked for Mary Baker Eddy’s printers, proposed the publication of a larger and more elaborate edition of Science and Health.
This month’s Object of the Month is a bit unusual—our object is not part of The Mary Baker Eddy Library’s collections. But it is nonetheless one that many visitors to the Boston area with interest in Eddy’s history have seen: The Mary Baker Eddy Memorial at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.