Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt (March 16, 1831 – July 17, 1893) was the elder sister of American novelistLouisa May Alcott. She was the basis for the character Margaret "Meg" ofLittle Women (1868), her sister's classic,semi-autobiographical novel.[1]
Anna Bronson Alcott was born in theGermantown neighborhood ofPhiladelphia on March 16, 1831.[2] She was the first of four daughters born toAmos Bronson Alcott andAbby May.[2] She was named after both her paternal grandmother (Anna) and her father (Bronson).[3]Amos Bronson Alcott was a schoolteacher and from the time Anna was born, he took detailed notes on his daughter's development.[4]
Anna was primarily educated at home although she attended her father's Temple School in the late 1830s.[5]
From an early age, Anna was "stage-struck" and secretly longed "to shine before the world as a great actress orprima donna."[2] In her youth, she and her sister Louisa created romanticmelodramas which they performed for friends.[2] While Louisa was known among friends for her comedic acting, Anna "could cause handkerchiefs to come out and much swallowing of lumps in the throat."[2]
Between 1847 and 1849, Anna and Louisa coauthored a tragedy entitledNorna; or, The Witch's Curse.[6] It was published after Louisa's death inComic Tragedies (1893) which featured an introduction by Anna titled "A forward from Meg."[6]
In 1850, Anna opened a small school inBoston with approximately 20 pupils.[5] In 1853, she accepted a teaching position inSyracuse, New York.[5]
In 1858, the year they moved toOrchard House in Concord, Louisa and Anna helped form theConcord Dramatic Union. Another member of the group wasJohn Bridge Pratt. He and Anna fell in love while playing opposite each other in a play called "The Loan of a Lover."[2]
The couple announced their engagement in spring 1858 and married at Orchard House in May 1860.[5] Their wedding provided the basis for the fictional marriage of Meg and John inLittle Women.[2] Anna wore a grey silk dress to the wedding.[7] Guests includedHenry David Thoreau,Ralph Waldo Emerson,Lidian Jackson Emerson andFranklin Benjamin Sanborn.[7] The early years of the marriage are portrayed in Anna's diary (1859–1862).[8][9]
Anna and John had two sons: Frederick Alcott Pratt (1863–1910) and John Sewall Pratt (1865–1923).[5] John Sewall Pratt later changed his name to John Alcott "in deference to Louisa [May] Alcott's will."[1] Both worked in book publishing.[1]
John Bridge Pratt died unexpectedly in late 1870.[5]
After her husband's death Anna purchased theThoreau-Alcott House on Main Street in Concord in 1877 with help from her sister Louisa.[2] Anna had $2,500 in savings and the asking price for the house was $5,000.[10] Louisa offered $4,500 which was accepted.[10]
Anna's last years were spent caring for those she loved, including her own sons, her sister Louisa, and "Lulu", the daughter of her late sisterMay Alcott Nieriker.[2]
Anna died inConcord, Massachusetts on July 17, 1893,[11] and she was buried in the family lot on Author's Ridge inSleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord.[12]
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