Thoreau’s aunt Maria writes to Prudence Ward:
Sophia told me that Sabbath evening she [Helen Thoreau] talked all about her funeral saying that to her there was not the least gloom attached to it, fortunately there happened to be here at this time a man that takes daguerreotypes remarkably well, and last Saturday he went to Brother’s [John Thoreau, Sr.] to take hers, and I think was very successful in getting a good likeness. She bore the fatigue better than was expected, and papers much gratified with it, it does not look thin and sickly as we feared it might, but out of 4 they hardly knew which to choose they were all so good,—they will keep two. Sophia’s is called good, but I do not think so, her hair is black which I think alters her a good deal, and her dress is wretched, but as Henry had it taken, and he wished her to appear in her everyday dress, she thought she would gratify him by wearing it, but I think she will be retaken this afternoon for as she says, every body looks at the dress and not at the face . . .
Henry has been to Worcester twice and is going again next Friday tho I understand one of the papers there criticised the first lecture very severely, Henry says he does not know what they will say to the last, for that they will not like (it is the one I was so disgusted with), but the next one they may like better, however it was their own proposition to have him come, and I think they will have enough of him.
