Emily Dickinson is one of America’s most recognized female poets of the nineteenth century. To understand Dickinson’s poem, “Much Madness is Divinest Sense,” we must first put both her life and her era in context with her writing.

The small tan colored leather purse trimmed in royal blue piping was presented to Alexandra, The Princess of Wales in 1879.

William Morris, whose name stands for admirable things in the world of literature, of art, and of socialism, was a British poet, painter, craftsman and social reformer. Morris was one of the principal founders of the British Arts and Crafts Movement and is best known for his wallpaper, textile and furniture designs.