Thoreau at Age 37

What it is

This is a frontispiece portrait of Thoreau, printed in 1898 by Dodd, Mead and Co. of New York and showing him at about age 37. The image is a sepia-toned pencil or crayon drawing of a man with swept-back dark hair, a dark jacket, a white collar and a dark bow tie, seen in three-quarter view against a pale background. The name of the artist is not given in the facts.

Why it matters

Frontispieces were placed at the front of books so readers could see the author before reading. This picture therefore presented Thoreau to readers of the 1898 edition as a figure of the 1850s, when he was about 37. Publishers at the time used such portraits to shape how an author was remembered.

Look closer

• Why might a publisher choose a portrait of a writer to appear before the text of his book?
• What clothing and hairstyle does the drawing show, and what might they suggest about the period?
• Who chose this image, and what might they have wanted readers to think about Thoreau?