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Wilson, James Grant

(Encyclopedia)Wilson, James Grant, 1832–1914, American biographer and man of letters, b. Scotland. He was brought to the United States in 1833. After journalistic work in Chicago and service in the Union army in ...

Macy, Anne Sullivan

(Encyclopedia)Macy, Anne Sullivan, 1866–1936, American educator, friend and teacher of Helen Keller, b. Feeding Hills, Mass. Placed in Tewksbury almshouse (1876), she was later admitted (1880) to Perkins Institut...

Snyders, Frans

(Encyclopedia)Snyders, Frans fräns snīˈdərs [key], 1579–1657, most celebrated Flemish still-life and animal painter, b. Antwerp. He studied with Bruegel, the younger, and Hendrik van Balen but was principally...

Dickinson, Emily

(Encyclopedia)Dickinson, Emily, 1830–86, American poet, b. Amherst, Mass. She is widely considered one of the greatest poets in American literature. Her unique, gemlike lyrics are distillations of profound feelin...

elecampane

(Encyclopedia)elecampane ĕlˌəkămpānˈ [key], hardy Old World herb, Inula helenium, of the family Asteraceae (aster family), naturalized in America and sometimes cultivated in gardens. It has showy yellow-rayed...

Antenor, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Antenor, in Greek mythology, wise elder of Troy who urged that Helen be returned to Menelaus. The Greeks spared him and his family when they sacked Troy. A later myth portrays Antenor as a traitorous ...

Grant, Sir Francis

(Encyclopedia)Grant, Sir Francis, 1803–78, Scottish portrait painter. He was self-taught in painting, for which he abandoned a career in law. He began as a painter of hunting scenes (The Melton Hunt and The Cotte...

Paris, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Paris or Alexander, in Greek mythology, son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector. Because it was prophesied that he would cause the destruction of Troy, Paris was abandoned on Mt. Ida, but there ...

Baily, Edward Hodges

(Encyclopedia)Baily, Edward Hodges, 1788–1867, English sculptor. He studied under Flaxman. One of his best works is the statue of Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square, London. Other works include decorations for Bu...

Eaton, John Henry

(Encyclopedia)Eaton, John Henry, 1790–1856, U.S. Senator (1818–29) and Secretary of War (1829–31), b. Halifax co., N.C. After being admitted to the bar, he practiced in Franklin, Tenn., and married Myra Lewis...