Maligned after his death under mysterious circumstance by an enemy who wrote Poe's first biography, Poe has been painted as a "misfit," "drunkard," "social outcast," and "drug user." Though in recent years his reputation has been resurrected as a man who was haunted by tragedy and would spend months between drinking. He was also a member of the temperance society and in the years after his death friends and family maintained that Poe did drink but was not habitual.
Poe's mysterious death attributable to either a disease picked up or by cooping- a 19th century practice in which a person was kidnapped and drugged to vote multiple times in different guises- a shift from the popular story that Poe died after a bout of binge drinking. He had a varied life, his younger years were spent in England, he tried a year at the then new University of Virginia, spent time in the army, and wrote and acted as an editor at different newspapers and periodicals.
The Library of Virginia in Richmond Virginia, where Edgar Allan Poe lived a portion of his life, at the Poe Museum presents through this Saturday a collection of 100 rare Poe artifacts including: a daguerreotype of Sarah Elmira Royster his first and last love, original magazines that he wrote in, a 1928 expressionist silent-film version of "The Fall of the House of Usher," rare first editions of his collect works like the "Tamerlane" book of poetry, illustrations of "The Raven" by James Carling, original manuscripts of "Eulalie: a Song," "To Elizabeth," and his autobiography, and memorabilia from around the world memorializing Edgar Allan Poe.
The exhibition runs until December 5 at the Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad st. Richmond Virginia in historic downtown Richmond, admission is free so if you are in the area drop and visit during normal business hours 9-5pm.
Written by Seamus Esparza
Posted December 1st, 2009 by Seamus Esparza
