Tillie Walden Published Graphic Novel on Vermont Couple
The former Vermont cartoonist laureate chronicled the 44-year life of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Comic Books
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Cartoonist Tillie Walden has released a new graphic novel titled Charity and Sylvia, documenting the lives of two women who resided in Weybridge, Vermont. The book explores the pair's 44-year partnership during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Why it matters
The work illuminates a historical relationship through extensive archival research, providing a visual narrative for a partnership that spanned over four decades.
Tillie Walden examined over 900 letters housed at the Henry Sheldon Museum to reconstruct the life of the couple. The work details the 44 years Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake spent together in Weybridge, Vermont.
The players
Tillie Walden
She is a cartoonist and former cartoonist laureate of Vermont who specializes in graphic narratives.
Charity Bryant
She was a 19th-century Vermont resident who operated a tailoring business with her partner.
Sylvia Drake
She was a 19th-century Vermont resident who maintained extensive journals about her life and tailoring business.
Henry Sheldon Museum
This institution serves as an archive for historical materials related to local figures in Addison County.
Rachel Hope Cleves
She is an author who previously researched and wrote about the lives of Bryant and Drake.
The details
Walden, formerly the cartoonist laureate of Vermont, synthesized historical context by drafting on loose pages during weekly visits to the archives. The graphic novel also draws upon previous research regarding the couple, including a book authored by Rachel Hope Cleves.
Timeline
18th and 19th centuries: Period when Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake lived together in Vermont.
1820s and 1830s: Era covered by extensive journal entries from Sylvia Drake.
October 14, 2026: Publication date of Tillie Walden's graphic novel Charity and Sylvia.
Culture Shift
This publication contributes to the growing body of the archival-based historical graphic novel genre. It follows a shift toward using primary source material to adapt historical biographies into visual media.
Readers interested in local history can visit the Henry Sheldon Museum to view the archives referenced in the book. The release provides Vermont residents with a new visual perspective on the history of the 19th-century tailoring community in Weybridge.
The takeaway
This graphic novel demonstrates how historical archives can be transformed into accessible narratives for a modern audience. Readers interested in their own local history can consult regional museum archives to uncover similar stories about residents from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Further reading
Discover more local interest in Comic Books.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Portland Press Herald.
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