'Charity & Sylvia': A 19th century same-sex love story in Vermont episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 49 MIN

'Charity & Sylvia': A 19th century same-sex love story in Vermont

from Vermont Edition · host Vermont Public

A new graphic novel tells the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, two seamstresses in 1800s Addison County. The two women lived together as a couple for nearly half a century, and they were accepted and beloved by their community. They're buried under the same gravestone in Weybridge.Norwich cartoonist Tillie Walden tells this love story in her new historical graphic novel 'Charity & Sylvia.' Walden is the former Vermont cartoonist laureaute and the author of more than a dozen books.We also talk with Coco Moseley, executive director of the Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury, which holds Charity and Sylvia's archives. And Vermont Humanities executive director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup helped bring the story to Walden's attention. Vermont Humanities will distribute thousands of copies as this year's pick for the Vermont Reads program. (Note: Vermont Public is the media sponsor of Vermont Reads.)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 18, 2026

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'Charity & Sylvia': A 19th century same-sex love story in Vermont

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This episode was published on June 18, 2026.

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