Pins and Pies, Linens and Lamps: Imagining the World of Charity & Sylvia

The publication of Tillie Walden’s recent graphic novel Charity & Sylvia–and its selection as the 2026 “Vermont Reads”–was a wonderful impetus for the Henry Sheldon Museum to rethink how we might feature the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake in the museum galleries. While we’ve long treasured the Charity and Sylvia archives– their letters, poems, diaries, and the like– their story hasn’t been visible in the museum itself. In curating Drawing on the Archive, we built a collaborative curatorial team where Tillie Walden’s contemporary illustrations could converse with 19th century objects and archival materials, and interpretation was shared among museum staff and community curators. Henry Sheldon Museum Executive Director Coco Moseley and Middlebury College Associate Professor Ellery Foutch share their stories behind the making of the new exhibition “Drawing on the Archive: Tillie Walden’s Charity & Sylvia.” About the presenters Coco Moseley is the Executive Director of the Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury. Since beginning this role in 2023, she has worked alongside the staff, board and community to reimagine the Sheldon Museum as a place where stories, history and art can inspire visitors today. Ellery Foutch is an Associate Professor in the American Studies Program at Middlebury College, where she teaches classes on the art and material culture of the United States, as well as critical museum studies. Her new book, A Perfectionist Impulse: The Art of Stopping Time in the Nineteenth Century (University of Minnesota Press, July 2026) explores period fascinations with perfection and its preservation across art, natural history, popular culture, and museum exhibition practices.