Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850-1887) Commemorative plaque, 1988.
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Resource ID
6147
Access
Open
Address
299 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2Y1
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
1988
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850-1887) Commemorative plaque, 1988.
Description
Considered among our finest poets, Isabella Crawford was born in Ireland and came to Canada with her parents about 1858. After settling first in Paisley, Ontario, the family lived later in Lakefield and Peterborough. As a young woman Isabella became fascinated by backwoods life and Indian legends. Following her father's death, she and her mother moved to Toronto. There they subsisted on her meagre earnings from light verse and 'formula fiction' that appeared in Canadian and American newspapers. One privately-printed book of serious poetry, 'Old Spookeses Pass, Malcom's Katie and Other Poems' appeared before her untimely death at 57 John Street. Full recognition came later, however, with the publication of her collected poems, which were admired for their evocative images of the lush and sparkling wilderness. 'Darkness built its wigwam walls close around the camp'.
Marker lat / long: 43.643762, -79.388843 (WGS84)