A portrait of Poe has been authenticated
in which he looks (wait for it) happy! Not morose, not brooding, not steeped in misery.
"It actually represents Poe as he appeared to his contemporaries -- a handsome, sophisticated young man on the rise," said Cliff Krainik, the owner of the portrait and a Poe scholar.
What a dashing young man he must have been, despite his portrayal in
The Remarkable Millard Filmore. Perhaps he cultivated a particular image to achieve some sort of notoriety? The article goes on to cite a friend:
“Of course, he wants to become a character,” Stephin Merritt...says. “He’s not Salvador Dali, but he’s not far off. There’s no hard line between his persona and his private life.”
Oh wait, that was from the
New Yorker's
profile of Neil Gaiman. Well...the same principle applies.
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Poor Poe. Glad to see him looking a bit more chipper.
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