The OTHER Women- in the Twain Legend

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) LOVED  women. Old ones, young ones... When his daughters were gone he informally adopted many young girls to run around with him. He called them his "angelfish." Perhaps the most famous of these was a child actress named Elsie Leslie. 

 This collection has numerous tintypes featuring the wonderful women in Mark Twain's life, and especially the other women... his childhood girl friend, cousins, female consorts while gallivanting out in California. It is an amazing selection of Victorian women, and leaves no doubt that Sam Clemens was a connoisseur of beauty.

 Mark Twain's first crush, and inspiration for the 

legendary Becky Thatcher of Tom Sawyer's neighborhood.

 This is a rare image of her when she was near the

 age described in Twain's iconic tale.

 Ella Creel was Sam Clemens's cousin, and no 

doubt his first experience of shock and awe 

and infatuation with the opposite sex. 

Perhaps the most famous madam in the west, Mark Twain

 no doubt knew Julia very early in his career when they

 both were operating their trades in Virginia City, Nevada.

Mine is the portrait on the left.

 The tintype in the middle started this whole avalanche

 of Twain's world. Mark Twain's most scandalous female 

associate was Adah Menken of New Orleans; actress,

 singer,equestrian performer and writer, and probably 

Confederate spy who befriended him while he

 covered her sensational shows in California... 

She wanted him to write her biography.

 One of the most beautiful women in Twain's social 
circle was Libby Custer, widow of famed Indian fighter
 General George Armstrong Custer. After his untimely
 death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Twain encouraged
her to write her memoirs, which she did. She named it 
Tenting on the Plains, and Twain's publishing 
company published it.