Talk:Sarah W. Whitman

Photographs

This article could really use good photos of some of Whitman's many stained glass window commissions, especially in and around Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts.Alafarge (talk) 20:00, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

Redirect?

Why is this article entitled Sarah W. Whitman, and a redirect necessary from "Sarah Wyman Whitman"? This artist is always known as Sarah Wyman Whitman, shouldn't the redirect work in the opposite direction? Unionpearl (talk) 20:39, 12 March 2017 (UTC)

I thought about this when I was doing a major edit on the page, but all the items I could find with her name on them — such as her own book, signed illustrations, etc. — were signed 'Sarah W. Whitman'. So I took that to be her preferred name. Alafarge (talk) 22:16, 12 March 2017 (UTC)

An excellent point, Alafarge. In her day, she was certainly known as "Sarah W. Whitman" (or, ack! "Mrs. Whitman"), and would rarely have been called "Sarah Wyman Whitman." Today, the preference is generally reversed. Do you know of any Wikipedia protocol that might provide guidelines to follow? Unionpearl (talk) 04:20, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

I find Wikipedia's advice on this pretty unclear in this kind of situation. WP:UCRN says to use the most common name, but as you point out, this appears to have changed from Whitman's own day to today. MOS:LEGALNAME mostly covers pen names, but from that I infer the principle of honoring the person's own choice in the page title. There is also WP:INITS, which kinda points the other way (e.g. C.P.E. Bach). So in my opinion, it could be argued either way, and I have no objection, if you feel strongly about Whitman, to switching the main and redirect pages.Alafarge (talk) 17:36, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

== QUESTION ==

I question this passage in the Whitman article. "In her final years, she lived with her sister Mary Rice in South Berwick, Maine, near her close friend Sarah Orne Jewett." While I do not have documented information about Whitman's final years, I'm pretty sure she did not have a sister named "Mary Rice." The sisters I know about died in childhood. Sarah Orne Jewett's sister was "Mary Rice Jewett." Further, I do not believe Whitman ever resided in South Berwick, ME though she did visit her friends there, and she worked on projects there. I'd suggest that the information about her final years be reviewed and documented. Terry Heller (Terry Heller (talk) 14:59, 31 March 2019 (UTC))

Birthplace?

Wondering about designating Lowell, Mass as SWW's birthplace, User:Librarygurl. Just about every source I've encountered lists Maryland as her birthplace, including her Census attestations and death record. The Holy Cross site doesn't footnote its reference to Lowell, Mass as her birthplace. Is there any other source that is more definitive? --Unionpearl (talk) 23:13, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

Further info: I found her obituary in the Boston Globe, dated June 26, 1904, which states, "the family home was in Lowell, but Sarah was born in Baltimore, during a temporary residence of her family in that city." I'm going to update the page to reflect this information.--Unionpearl (talk) 01:17, 25 March 2022 (UTC)