Josephine Preston Peabody
Josephine Preston Peabody (1874-1922) was an American poet, playwright, and educator, known for her contributions to literature and her involvement in social issues. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was influenced early on by her father's appreciation for the arts and her mother's emphasis on finding beauty in everyday life. After her father's death, the family faced financial constraints, prompting Peabody to immerse herself in reading a wide array of literature, which laid the foundation for her artistic talent. She attended Radcliffe College, where she studied under prominent Harvard professors and began publishing her work, receiving acclaim for her poetry from prestigious magazines.
Peabody's literary career flourished with the publication of several successful works, including her acclaimed play "The Piper," which won the Stratford Play Competition in 1910. Throughout her life, she was also an advocate for labor rights and women's suffrage, actively participating in these movements. She held a lecturing position at Wellesley College, where she taught poetry and English literature while continuing to produce significant literary works. Josephine Preston Peabody left a lasting legacy in American literature and social activism, exploring themes of beauty, spirit, and cultural issues until her untimely death.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Josephine Preston Peabody
Poet
- Born: May 30, 1874
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: December 4, 1922
Biography
Josephine Preston Peabody was born on May 30, 1874, in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Charles Kilham and Susan Josephine Morrill Peabody. During her first years, a younger sister died, so Josephine bonded with her older sister who was five years her senior. Although it was rare for women even in the late 1870’s, she and her siblings were ensured a good education by her parents. Her father, cultured in the arts, influenced her with his penchant for theater in general and Shakespeare in particular, as well as for music and poetry. At the same time, Peabody’s mother would point out the beauty in the details of daily life. A sensitive child, Peabody would grow up happy for the first ten years.
In 1884, her beloved father died. Her mother took the children to live in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where their now limited income prevented her and her siblings from enjoying the arts as joyfully as they once had. Instead, Peabody became deliberately ensconced in reading—everything from poetry to novels to essays, history, philosophy, and plays. In one of her diaries/notebooks, it is recorded that in the five years between 1888 and 1893, Peabody read six hundred books. Supported by financial aid, Peabody entered Radcliffe College, studying under influential Harvard University professors between 1894 and 1896.
Without hesitation, she took to Dante, the Miracle and Morality plays, and to Elizabethan drama, and began publishing. First, one of her poems was accepted by The Atlantic Monthly in 1894. With the mentoring of the magazine’s editor, Horace Scudder, her first poetry collection came out in 1898, followed by several pieces appearing in the top magazines of the day.
Her prodigal gifts would bring her quick acclaim, many friends, and much awed admiration. They would also earn her a lecturing post at Wellesley College, where from 1901 to 1903 she taught poetry and English literature, and during which time, despite great depression revealed only in her diaries, she would produce four more works, two plays and two volumes of verse.
In 1906, at thirty-two, Peabody married Harvard engineering professor Lionel Simeon Marks. By 1909, she had published two more works. By 1910, she had won the Stratford Play Competition with The Piper, which won over 315 other plays.
At around the same time, she developed her nagging concerns for both labor issues and women’s rights, and joined efforts such as the suffragist movement. She was vociferous and active in this movement until her early death on December 4, 1922. Peabody left behind a history of culture, social issues, and themes of spirit and beauty that she had begun her happy life with.