Tillie Walden's Graphic Novel Illuminates Lesbian Couple in Early 19th-Century Vermont
"Charity and Sylvia," a graphic novel by Tillie Walden published by Drawn & Quarterly, spans 266 pages and costs $30. It focuses on the lives of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, a lesbian couple who openly lived in Weybridge, Vermont from 1807 to 1851. Drawing from archival materials at the Henry Sheldon Museum, including diaries and letters preserved by a niece, the book showcases their successful tailoring business and community acceptance, with Sylvia even serving as a church deacon. Their shared tombstone, now decorated with pride flags, was recognized by a roadside marker in 2025. Walden, Vermont's former cartoonist laureate, uses a unique twelve-panel layout to depict their lives and historical events. Upcoming signings are on June 10 and June 17, with a musical premiere in September.
Key facts
- Tillie Walden's graphic novel 'Charity and Sylvia' published by Drawn & Quarterly, 266 pages, $30
- Based on archives at Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, donated in 1897 by a niece
- Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake lived openly as a same-sex couple in Weybridge, VT from 1807 to 1851
- They ran a successful tailoring business; Sylvia was a deacon in the Congregational Church
- They share a single tombstone in the town cemetery, now with pride flags and visitation stones
- In 2025, Vermont erected a roadside marker recognizing their contributions
- Walden is former cartoonist laureate of Vermont
- Upcoming events: Harvard Book Store (MA) June 10, The Norwich Bookstore (VT) June 17
- Vermont Symphony Orchestra to premiere Clarice Assad's commissioned work in September
Entities
Artists
- Tillie Walden
- Clarice Assad
Institutions
- Drawn & Quarterly
- Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History
- Harvard Book Store
- The Norwich Bookstore
- Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Locations
- Weybridge
- Vermont
- United States
- Massachusetts