The friendship between two intellectual powerhouses of the mid-nineteenth century—Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson—began with a visit to Concord in 1836. Fuller later joined the “Transcendental Club” and her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century—the first major feminist work in America—grew from an essay published in The Dial magazine under Emerson’s editorship.

Emerson House guides share answers to some of the frequently asked questions by visitors to the house.

Reprinted from The Public Domain Review, this essay explores the friendship of Transcendentalist illustrator Christopher Cranch and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cranch’s collection of humorous sketches inspired by phrases from Emerson’s Nature—including his famed “transparent eyeball” drawing—is considered one of his greatest achievements.