Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt (March 16, 1831 – July 17, 1893) was the elder sister of American novelist

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...

. She was the basis for the character Margaret "Meg" of ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' (1868), her sister's classic,

semi-autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

novel.

Early life

Anna Bronson Alcott was born in the Germantown neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on March 16, 1831. She was the first of four daughters born to

Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...

and

Abby May Abigail "Abba" Alcott (née May; October 8, 1800 – November 25, 1877) was an American activist for several causes and one of the first paid social workers in the state of Massachusetts. She was the wife of transcendentalist Amos Bronson Alc ...

. She was named after both her paternal grandmother (Anna) and her father (Bronson).

was a schoolteacher and from the time Anna was born, he took detailed notes on his daughter's development. Anna was primarily educated at home although she attended her father's Temple School in the late 1830s. From an early age, Anna was "stage-struck" and secretly longed "to shine before the world as a great actress or ''

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

''." In her youth, she and her sister Louisa created romantic

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

s which they performed for friends. 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." Between 1847 and 1849, Anna and Louisa coauthored a tragedy entitled ''Norna; or, The Witch's Curse''. It was published after Louisa's death in ''Comic Tragedies'' (1893) which featured an introduction by Anna titled "A forward from Meg."

Career

In 1850, Anna opened a small school in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

with approximately 20 pupils. In 1853, she accepted a teaching position in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

Marriage and children

In 1858, the year they moved to

Orchard House Orchard House is a historic house museum in Concord, Massachusetts, United States, opened to the public on May 27, 1912. It was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) and his family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott (183 ...

in Concord, Louisa and Anna helped form the Concord Dramatic Union. Another member of the group was

John Bridge Pratt John Bridge Pratt (June 16, 1833 — November 27, 1870) was the husband of Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt, the elder sister of novelist Louisa May Alcott. He inspired the fictional character John Brooke in his sister-in-law Louisa May Alcott's best know ...

. He and Anna fell in love while playing opposite each other in a play called "The Loan of a Lover." The couple announced their engagement in spring 1858 and married at Orchard House in May 1860. Their wedding provided the basis for the fictional marriage of Meg and John in ''

''. Anna wore a grey silk dress to the wedding. Guests included

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon sim ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

Lidian Jackson Emerson Lidian Jackson Emerson (born Lydia Jackson; September 20, 1802 – November 13, 1892) was the second wife of American essayist, lecturer, poet and leader of the nineteenth century Transcendentalism movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and mother of his ...

and

Franklin Benjamin Sanborn Franklin Benjamin Sanborn (December 15, 1831 – February 24, 1917) was an American journalist, teacher, author, reformer, and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Sanborn was a social scientist and memorialist of American transcend ...

. The early years of the marriage are portrayed in Anna's diary (1859–1862). Anna and John had two sons: Frederick Alcott Pratt (1863–1910) and John Sewall Pratt (1865–1923). John Sewall Pratt later changed his name to John Alcott "in deference to Louisa ayAlcott's will." Both worked in book publishing.

Later life and death

died unexpectedly in late 1870. After her husband's death Anna purchased the Thoreau-Alcott House on Main Street in Concord in 1877 with help from her sister Louisa. Anna had $2,500 in savings and the asking price for the house was $5,000. Louisa offered $4,500 which was accepted. 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 sister May Alcott Nieriker. Anna died in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...

on July 17, 1893, and she was buried in the family lot on Author's Ridge in

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thinke ...

.''Concord Patch''
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Anna Alcott family 1831 births 1893 deaths People from Philadelphia Sewall family Quincy family Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Concord, Massachusetts) May family