Google Doodles for Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888),
via Wikimedia Commons

Louisa May Alcott – best known as the author of Little Women – is the latest literary figure to be subject of the accolade that is the Google Doodle, on the occasion of the 184th anniversary of her birth, on this day (29 November) in 1832.

Born in Pennsylvania, her family later moved to Boston and much of her life was spent around Massachusetts. Financial circumstances were such that Louisa, along with her sisters, had to seek work from an early age – as a teacher, seamstress, governess, domestic helper, and writer. It is said that "writing became a creative and emotional outlet for Alcott."

Her family were also practising transcendentalists, which brought them into the circles of famous literary figures of the day, such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller. She was also active, from an early age, in abolitionist and feminist causes.

The publication of Little Women, in 1869, secured her literary fame, though she had been writing and publishing for many years previously. It was an instant success and followed by two sequels that were eagerly received. The novel is loosely autobiographical, detailing both her own life and that of her sisters, following their passage from childhood to womanhood. It is considered a landmark work in the emergence of female literature of the 19th century. It remains a widely read classic and has been adapted numerous times for stage and cinema.

Louisa May Alcott's 184th birthday

William Morris (1834-1896), Poet and Designer, is Honoured with Google Doodle

George Frederic Watts [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Since the inception of the Google Doodle, authors and writers have figured prominently among the list of honourees. Today it is the turn of the Victorian artist, designer, poet, publisher, William Morris who was born on this day in 1834. He was also a prominent figure in the socialist movement that swept Britain, along with many other countries in the 19th century with the onset of industrialisation.

Though best known in his day for his poetry, his posthumous legacy is said to lie chiefly in his designs, which appear to have found a new lease of life in the internet age, as evidenced by Google's tribute. Accounting for that legacy, Jonathan Jones in today's The Guardian says that he "dedicated his life to inventing beautiful and useful products for the modern world ... showing that mass production – of a kind – can be beautiful."

Morris himself, perhaps summed up his own philosophy in the quote, "If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." (source: Wikiquote)

His life and legacy is kept alive today by the William Morris Society, founded in 1955 in London, England with chapters today to be found around the world.