PICTURES by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This isn’t your typical poem; it’s a collection of Perry Pictures—affordable reproductions of well-known artworks—suggested as study aids for Longfellow’s narrative poem *Evangeline*.
The poem
Perry Pictures helpful in the Study of Evangeline: Christ Church, Boston, 1357; The Sheepfold, 3049; The Blacksmith, 887; Evangeline, 23; The Wave, 3197; Spring, 484; Pasturage in the Forest, 506; Sheep-Spring, 757; Milking Time, 601; Angelus, 509; Haymaker's Rest, 605; Landscape, 490; Priscilla Spinning, 3298; Shoeing the Horse, 908; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 15; Priscilla, 1338; Autumn, 615; September, 1071; Deer by Moonlight, 1005; Winter Scene, 27-B. * * * * * We supply the above at one cent each, if twenty or more are ordered. They may be assorted, as desired.
This isn’t your typical poem; it’s a collection of Perry Pictures—affordable reproductions of well-known artworks—suggested as study aids for Longfellow’s narrative poem *Evangeline*. Each numbered entry links to a specific image, ranging from serene landscapes to portraits, designed to help students picture the poem's world. At the end, a brief commercial note informs readers that they can order any combination of twenty or more prints for just a penny each.
Line-by-line
Perry Pictures helpful in the Study of Evangeline: / Christ Church, Boston, 1357; The Sheepfold, 3049; The Blacksmith, 887;
Evangeline, 23; The Wave, 3197; Spring, 484; Pasturage in the Forest, 506;
Sheep-Spring, 757; Milking Time, 601; Angelus, 509; Haymaker's Rest, 605;
Landscape, 490; Priscilla Spinning, 3298; Shoeing the Horse, 908; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 15;
Priscilla, 1338; Autumn, 615; September, 1071; Deer by Moonlight, 1005; Winter Scene, 27-B.
We supply the above at one cent each, if twenty or more are ordered.
Tone & mood
The tone is purely functional and instructional—there's no lyrical voice, emotional depth, or figurative language. It feels like a teacher's handout, which it essentially is. Any warmth comes indirectly from the images themselves, which together create a scene of pastoral beauty, quiet devotion, and the changes of the seasons.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Wave — In *Evangeline*, water — rivers, the sea, the tides — symbolizes the relentless flow of time and the forces that drive people away from their homes and loved ones. By including *The Wave* as a study image, students are encouraged to view nature as a dynamic force in the poem, rather than merely a background element.
- Angelus — Millet's *Angelus* shows peasants pausing their work to pray when they hear the evening bell. As a companion piece to *Evangeline*, it represents the strong Catholic faith of the Acadian community and how that faith helps them endure hardship and loss.
- The Seasons (Spring, Autumn, September, Winter Scene) — Four seasonal images are included in this brief list. Collectively, they represent the complete journey of a human life — particularly Evangeline's life, which traverses each season as she seeks Gabriel across a vast continent.
- Portrait of Longfellow — Including the poet's portrait alongside images of landscapes and laborers brings the author into the realm of his poem. It also mirrors a 19th-century classroom culture that viewed great authors as figures deserving of admiration, akin to secular saints.
- The Blacksmith / Shoeing the Horse — Images of skilled manual labor appear throughout the list, linking to the poem's portrayal of the Acadian village as a self-sufficient and dignified community. The blacksmith in *Evangeline* is Basil, Gabriel's father—a symbol of strength and stability before the expulsion.
Historical context
The Perry Picture Company started in Malden, Massachusetts, during the 1890s, creating affordable photographic reproductions of well-known artworks for American schools. At just a penny each, they were among the first resources to introduce visual art into regular classrooms. This specific list was put together as a study aid for Longfellow's *Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie* (1847), which was an immensely popular narrative poem about the British's forced deportation of French Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. By the late 19th century, *Evangeline* had become a mainstay in American school curricula, and supplementary materials like this picture list were widely used. The list showcases the belief that visual art could enhance literary comprehension — a surprisingly contemporary idea wrapped in Victorian sensibilities.
FAQ
Strictly speaking, no — it lacks meter, rhyme, and a lyrical voice. Instead, it serves as a catalogue and a commercial notice. Although it appears under Longfellow's name because it was published alongside his work, it feels more like a found or documentary text than a crafted poem.
Perry Pictures were affordable, small photographic reproductions of famous paintings, sculptures, and portraits offered by the Perry Picture Company based in Malden, Massachusetts. Aimed at classroom use, these reproductions cost as little as one cent each, allowing students without other access to visual art to experience it.
*Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie* (1847) is Longfellow's narrative poem that tells the story of a young Acadian woman who is torn away from her fiancé Gabriel when the British forcibly deport the French-speaking Acadian people from Nova Scotia in 1755. She dedicates her entire life to searching for him across North America. The accompanying illustrations were designed to help students picture the pastoral, pre-industrial world depicted in the poem — with its sheepfolds, hayfields, and village churches that Longfellow vividly describes.
Priscilla is a character from another poem by Longfellow, *The Courtship of Miles Standish* (1858). Her inclusion here indicates that the list was likely part of broader studies on Longfellow, rather than being focused solely on *Evangeline*, or that a teacher created it to address multiple poems at once.
Almost certainly a nod to Jean-François Millet's painting *The Angelus*, created between 1857 and 1859, which depicts two peasants taking a moment in a field to pray as the evening church bell rings. This artwork was among the most reproduced images of the 19th century, making it instantly recognizable to students. It ties into the strong Catholic faith of the Acadian community in *Evangeline*.
19th-century American classrooms often regarded famous authors as cultural heroes deserving of recognition by both their appearance and their name. Displaying the poet's portrait was a common practice in literary study, based on the belief that familiarizing oneself with an author's likeness made their work feel more tangible and relatable.
Time is a key theme in the poem. Evangeline ages throughout her life as she searches for Gabriel, and Longfellow incorporates seasonal imagery to highlight that passage. Showing students images of each season would have deepened their understanding of time's significance in the poem, rather than simply reading about it.
Yes, definitely. It indicates that teachers leveraged visual art to enhance literary reading, that funding was a significant hurdle for classroom resources, and that *Evangeline* was taught extensively enough to generate its own market of study materials. It also suggests a belief that grasping a poem required an appreciation of the physical and social context it portrayed.