By Laurie Toth
Harriet Sanger Pullman—later known as Harriet Carolan and then Harriet Schermerhorn—was the second child and second daughter born to George and Harriett Pullman. She entered the world on September 17, 1869, in Chicago, most likely at her parents’ home at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 16th Street. Her birth came just over a year after that of her older sister, Florence.
“Hattie Pullman, Age one, ca 1870.”
Harriet would outlive all her siblings, passing away at the remarkable age of eighty-seven. She married twice: first to Frank Carolan of California, and later to her childhood suitor, Arthur Schermerhorn. She was the first of the Pullman children to marry, celebrating her wedding in 1892 at her parents’ newly renovated Prairie Avenue home. Because of her grandmother’s (Emily Minton Pullman) death in May of 1896, her wedding was not as elaborate as her sister Florence’s would be in 1896.
From an early age, Harriet showed signs of being something of a fashionista—a trait charmingly revealed in a small but telling childhood story.
As the daughter of George and Harriett Pullman, Harriet was photographed frequently throughout her life. One of the earliest known photographs dates to 1872, when she was just three years old. During the sitting, young Harriet became upset when she noticed that a button was missing from her left shoe. Distressed that the flaw would be visible, she insisted on another photograph—this time with her legs crossed so the missing button would not show.
“Hattie Pullman 1872, broken shoe button on left foot”
Many years later, Harriet herself recorded the memory on the back of the envelope that held the two photographs. She wrote:
“I remember vividly—my distress over the fact that a button on my left shoe was missing! The reason for the changed position of the left leg in the next pose. Another memory—the doll was borrowed from Florence, and I was warned not to break it!”
In this small moment—a missing button, a borrowed doll, and a determined little girl—we catch an early glimpse of the personality and self-awareness that would stay with Harriet Pullman throughout her long life.
Photo Credit: The Chicago History Museum
