Emily Dickinson (c. 1847)
When it comes to literature and the world of poetry, the name Emily Dickinson sure should ring a bell as she lived her life to earn her the position of one of America’s most revered poets. Dickinson had a few of her works published while she was alive but left behind a rich collection of her poems and inspirational words. Sadly, though, she suffered from poor health and agoraphobia. This daguerreotype is said to be the only true representation of who Emily Dickinson was and was a gift presented to Amherst College by Millicent Todd Bingham in 1956. Bingham received the photograph back in 1894 from Wallace Keep, brother to a friend of Emily’s sister, Lavinia, who gave it to him as a treasure.
Emily Dickinson
President Franklin Pierce (c. 1851-1860)
Franklin Pierce was born in 1804 and was elected the 14th president of the United States of America. Interestingly, the National Constitution Center tried their best to give him a good rating for his service by noting he had a rough presidency. However, Pierce’s most concrete compliment was that he was quite handsome and only had hopes of doing better in his second term in office. Pierce never got a second term in office as his own party voted against him because of his contradicting way of ruling. The sad part is that being a Northerner, Pierce was all about slavery and was instrumental in the signing deal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This action saw a previous ban on slavery in the areas north of 36 degrees latitude being revoked. Pierce, at one point, had to beg for his home not to be destroyed by an angry mob because of his dissatisfaction with Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.
President Franklin Pierce
