Presented by Sherry L. Smith, Historian

Portland's Charles Erskine Scott Wood and his lover Sara Bard Field stood in the thick of a grand cast of radicals and reformers fighting for a new America in the 1910s. They sought change not only in labor picket lines and at women's suffrage rallies, but also in homes and bedrooms. This presentation explores the passionate and tumultuous relationship between Erskine and Sara that spanned decades. Self-described pioneers in free love, the pair exchanged hundreds of letters that charted a new kind of romantic relationship while simultaneously uncovering contradictions with their deeply engaged political lives and ideals. Their story provides a profoundly personal look at a dynamic, and amazingly relevant, period in American history.

About the Speaker:

Sherry L. Smith is a University Distinguished Professor of History (Emerita) at Southern Methodist University. A historian of the American West and Native America, Smith's award-winning books include Hippies, Indians and the Fight for Red Power and Reimagining Indians: Native Americans Through Anglo Eyes, 1880-1940, both published by Oxford University Press. She lives in Moose, Wyoming, and Pasadena, California.

Photo Credit (SEP KS 2): Huntington Library, Museums and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California

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