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Lavinia Norcross Dickinson

1833 – 1899

Sister of Emily Dickinson

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About Lavinia Norcross Dickinson

Lived 1833 – 1899 (aged 66). Lavinia Norcross Dickinson was an American poet and writer.

Lavinia "Vinnie" Norcross Dickinson (February 28, 1833 – August 31, 1899) was the younger sister of American poet Emily Dickinson.

Vinnie was the youngest of the Dickinson siblings born to Edward Dickinson and his wife Emily Norcross in Amherst, Massachusetts. She shared a name with her Aunt Lavinia. On September 7, 1840, Vinnie and her sister Emily started attending school at Amherst Academy, a former boys' school that had opened to female students just two years earlier.

Vinnie was instrumental in achieving the posthumous publication of her sister's poems after having discovered the forty-odd manuscripts in which Emily had collected her work. Despite promising her sister that she would destroy all correspondence and personal papers, Vinnie sought to have her sister's poetry edited and published by two of Emily's personal correspondents, Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd. Four years after Emily Dickinson's death, in 1890, Poems was published by Roberts Brothers, Boston. By the end of 1892, it had already been through eleven editions.

Vinnie never married and remained at the Dickinson Homestead until her death.

In popular culture In Apple TV+'s 2019–2021 series Dickinson, Anna Baryshnikov plays Dickinson in a comedic interpretation. In the 2016 film A Quiet Passion, Lavinia is played by Jennifer Ehle.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Lavinia Dickinson

Family & relationships

Parent
Edward Dickinson
Parent
Emily Norcross Dickinson

People in Lavinia Norcross Dickinson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Lavinia Norcross Dickinson's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Lavinia Norcross Dickinson?

sister of Emily Dickinson

When was Lavinia Norcross Dickinson born?

Lavinia Norcross Dickinson was born on 28 February 1833.

When did Lavinia Norcross Dickinson die?

Lavinia Norcross Dickinson died on 31 August 1899.

What was Lavinia Norcross Dickinson's occupation?

Lavinia Norcross Dickinson was a poet and writer.

What nationality was Lavinia Norcross Dickinson?

Lavinia Norcross Dickinson was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Lavinia Norcross Dickinson

· Wikidata: Q6502735

· DBpedia: Lavinia Norcross Dickinson

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lavinia Norcross Dickinson. https://biography.guide/lavinia-norcross-dickinson/

MLA: "Lavinia Norcross Dickinson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lavinia-norcross-dickinson/.

Chicago: "Lavinia Norcross Dickinson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lavinia-norcross-dickinson/.

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