Mabel Osgood Wright Slides
Mabel Osgood Wright: Author and Advocate 1859-1934
Mabel Osgood was born in 1859 in New York City to Samuel and Ellen Osgood; she married Osborne Wright in 1884. Though her father encouraged her education, he drew the line at medical school. It was while enjoying the family home, Mosswood, in Fairfield, Connecticut, that Mabel honed her skills of observation and learned to appreciate nature. She shared that appreciation through her books, including The Friendship of Nature (1894), Birdcraft (1895), and Flowers and Ferns in their Haunts (1901).
She also believed that children in an increasingly urban society needed to learn about and appreciate nature, so she wrote educational stories for younger readers including Tommy-Anne and the Three Hearts (1896) and Wabeno the Magician (1899). She illustrated many of her books with her own photographs. Her writings also appeared in the magazine Bird-Lore, published by the Audubon Society.
She founded the Connecticut Audubon Society in 1896 and sat on the advisory board of the National Commission. She also designed and constructed the Birdcraft Sanctuary at the Connecticut Audubon Society’s property in Fairfield in 1914.
This collection of hand-colored glass slide photography by Mabel Osgood Wright is one of the many things that exemplify her love of nature.