Baylor University offers a few thoughts on matters of the heart with the approach of Valentine's Day on Friday, Feb. 14.
Armstrong-Browning Library at Baylor is the home of many artifacts relating to English poets and lovers Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, including jewelry from their wedding and Robert's gift to Elizabeth on their first anniversary.
The library also has Elizabeth's handwritten manuscript of love poems for Robert contained in "Sonnets from the Portuguese," particularly the one recognized as "How Do I Love Thee?" -- which could be called the ultimate valentine. Baylor's manuscript of the poem is one of only three copies believed to exist today.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who died at the age of 55 in 1861, wrote the poem for her husband, Robert Browning, who was 77 when he died in 1889. Their union has been described as one of the greatest literary romances ever known. The two were married for only 15 years when Elizabeth died in Browning's arms at their home in Florence, Italy.
Armstrong-Browning Library houses the world's largest collection of memorabilia associated with the Brownings. The library has become a mecca for those interested in the poets and their works, attracting more than 20,000 visitors each year.
More information on the Brownings is available by contacting Rita S. Patteson, assistant professor and librarian/curator of manuscripts, at 254.710.3566 or [email protected] . The library's web site can be accessed at www.browninglibrary.org . A digital picture of the manuscript is available on request.
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