Amelia Montague Watson [1856 – 1934] was a watercolorist and photographer from East Winsor Hill, CT. Her best known work was in illustrating a deluxe edition of Henry David Thoreau’s travelogue of Cape Cod. Watson was fascinated by the life of Fanny Kemble, so much that she took several trips to the Georgia sea coast to document what remained of the Butler Plantation, owned by Kemble’s husband Pierce Butler. Kemble and her daughter Frances Butler Leigh wrote journals of their time on the plantation, and Watson used her photography to create watercolor illustrations for both publications. Watson was unable to find a publisher interested in a illustrated edition of either journal, but her collection was willed to the Lenox Library, adding to its Fanny Kemble Collection.
“When I think, I must speak:” The World Stage of Fanny Kemble, a Local History Department presentation given last summer, made heavy use of the materials donated by Watson.
A sample of Watson’s work for the journals is found below. Hover over each image to see the striking contrast between the realism of the black and white photographs and the romanticism of the soft watercolors.
Read more about Amelia Watson here
