Flappers & Fiction

We often remember Charles Sumner as the stern abolitionist senator, but his private world was far more textured than his politics suggests. Imagine a man who tipped his hat to library books out of sheer respect and hunted for rare Sevres china with the same fervor he applied to legislation. From his tender friendship with Longfellow to the faithful Irish housekeeper who once saved a Secretary of State, these intimate anecdotes reveal the warmth behind the statesman. It is a delightful glimpse into a life where rare editions mattered just as much as Senate votes.