Charity and Sylvia

by Tillie Walden

An openly Lesbian couple survives and thrives in 19th century Vermont–a true story, as told by Tillie Walden

The month is February in the year 1807. The place is Weybridge, Vermont: small, cold, lonely, and beautiful. Sylvia Drake is exhausted. As an unwed woman with few prospects, she is residing with and caring for her sister’s rambunctious family. Today the house is abuzz awaiting a guest—Charity Bryant. A friend of the family, she is most known for her elegant letters, with their swoopy and evocative penmanship and carefully chosen prose. But Charity’s visit is a guise, she is coming to Vermont to start over after heartbreak and rumours—so many rumours—that have grown too loud back in Massachusetts.

Being openly gay in 19th century New England is not an easy row to hoe. But Charity can only be herself, and she immediately catches—and holds—the eye of none other than Sylvia Drake. From this point on, for 44 years, the two would be inseparable, building a life together despite all odds and living as a lesbian couple in small town Vermont.

The true, exceptional story of these remarkable women is brought to life with humor and passion by the unparalleled and award-winning Tillie Walden (Spinning, On A Sunbeam). We see America grow alongside these women over a period that brings about the railroad, many novels, 14 Presidents, riots, rebellion, plagues, and poetry. Based on extensive archives of their writing, Charity and Sylvia is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of 19th century America.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, History, Queer, Nonfiction, Lesbian

264 pages, Hardcover

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Tillie Walden is an American cartoonist and illustrator.
Born in 1996 in San Diego, California, Walden graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, where she is currently a professor.
Walden started publishing short comics when she was just a teenager. Her first long-form graphic novel The End of Summer was published by the British publisher Avery Hill in 2015. Her second book I Love This Part came out only a few months later, winning the 2016 Ignatz Award for promising new talent. Later Walden received the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for her memoir Spinning (2017). Among her other works are A City Inside (2016), On a Sunbeam (2018), Are You Listening? (2020), Alone in Space (2021) and the series Clementine.

Reviews

[Aila Krisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was nice but not at all what I expected. This is a historical graphic novel biography of two women who were the bestest of gal pals and definitely not lesbian lovers, they just happened to never get married and lived together. It was gorgeous and definitely had me bawling at the end.

But it is also very episodic, it doesn’t try to stuff the lives of these two real people into a consistent narrative structure, cause that’s not how human lives usually work. So the story is instead told in one- to two-page long vignettes from Charity and Sylvia’s lives, following them from when they first met all the way to their deaths. I was initially a bot taken aback, because it wasn’t what I was expecting, but as I kept reading I enjoyed it more and more. It is very slow-paced and uneventful at times, but results in a gorgeous, heart warming whole by the end.

I really liked the art style, it was very pretty and I feel like it really managed to capture the time period quite well. But it was a bit difficult at first because the beginning had a number of young blonde women who all looked very similar, so I kept getting them confused - the characters get more distinctive as the story goes on and this isn’t a problem for long though.

Tropes and such:
- lesbians in 19th century New England
- biography in vignettes
- slow-paced graphic novel
- a heart-warming ending (did make me cry tho)
- loads of religion but barely any homophobia
----
Thank you to Drawn & Quarterly for the ARC

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so beautiful.

i’ve been meaning to read rachel hope cleeves’ book on charity and sylvia for a while now, but i couldn’t resist reading this first when my library acquired a digital copy.

this wonderful graphic novel tells the true story of charity bryant and sylvia drake, two women who lived together and loved each other in the early united states. specifically, vermont (and a little massachusetts). what’s so refreshing about their story is how much love and support they received from their families and community. charity and sylvia were never ostracized, especially in their religious community, for their companionship. they were treated much like the married husbands and wives of the era without question.

i read tillie walden’s spinning not too long ago, so i knew her art style would be incredible. the old new england landscape is drawn in such a lovely way that is reminiscent of the new england i know today. those old crumbling colonial houses and stone walls everywhere…yeah i know this place! i was also glad that walden didn’t shy away from the ugliness of the country at the time, in regards to the treatment of indigenous and enslaved people. she provides a great bit of historical context despite not being a historian herself. i could just tell how much work and care she put into this project.

i will say, the story is a bit slow going at first. and it was hard to keep track of who was who given everyone dressed the exact same. but it was absolutely worth it. such a beautiful story and a great reminder that queer people have always been here and will always be here.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Such a wonderful story—a true story, based on some great archival research. I love the design of this graphic novel.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this graphic novel through NetGalley.

I loved this book! Based on real people, I was unfamiliar with this story of two women living together as romantic partners in early-1800s Vermont. The details were well-researched, and I loved the illustrations and storytelling style. The panels with no words told as much of a story as the ones with text.
The story describes the relationships with their families as well the challenges the women face, especially given their non-traditional relationship at the time. Overall, I found this story to be sweet and heartfelt. I'm so glad the author chose to bring the tale of Charity and Sylvia to light for modern readers.

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I say this about literally every book I read lately but this one had me s o b b i n g by the end of it. Despite this being a work of nonfiction, grounded very deeply in the time and the place in which it's set (Weybridge, Vermont, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries), Tillie Walden manages to bring her beautiful, dreamlike art style to the panels--and make for a rich storytelling unlike anything I've ever seen in graphic nonfiction. Also, I bought my copy at a signing, and she drew me a doodle on the front page! So!

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Drawn and Quarterly for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I really loved the story of Charity and Sylvia together, getting to know each other, falling in love and living the life they wanted, all the way to their deaths. Everything else included with their families, church, the town etc bored me a lot.

I also felt it was very choppy. I understand this is likely intentional, given it’s largely based on journal entries and letters, but I felt we didn’t spent enough time in any one moment to really feel for much. It was the moments we did spend time with, especially Charity’s death, that bumped this up another half star for me.

I found the panels too busy with far too much text and dialogue. Walden’s art style is great, though, I just wish I could have seen more of it.

[Demetria King · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

And they were roommates. 👀

Ever since I read Emma Donoghue’s “Learned by Heart” I’ve been looking for more queer historical stories based on real people. I’m glad to have stumbled upon this one. I don’t read too many graphic novels so maybe I’m not the best judge of whether it’s good or not. I thought this story was so sweet. Walden admits to taking liberties just because of the nature of what was known about them and the historical documents that were available. I still found the story believable.

[Ellie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so powerful. I have loved Walden as a cartoonist for a long time and her talent really shows through here--I welcomed this quiet, meaningful true tale of two women's lives together. Queer people have always been here. 💙

[Chris]

Just ordered a copy from my local independent bookstore.

[Nicholas Krochta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not expect to cry over 19th century lesbians this morning.

[Alex Sarll]

The true story, mostly, of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, who lived almost openly as a couple, largely without bother, in the small town of Weybridge in early 19th century Vermont. There has been an understandable upsurge in queer history across recent decades, the urge to demonstrate that homosexuality is not some new (and implicitly terrible) development sometimes tipping into clumsy, time-blind stuff that back-projects modern attitudes wholesale into the past. But, thank goodness, while Tillie Walden's previous work has not tended to the historical, her usual deftness of touch has carried across; this is not moderns in fancy dress, it's the people of another age, whose concerns and passions are sometimes ours, other times echo them, but elsewhere are entirely alien, as in the deep faith which pervades everything but takes many subtly different forms, and sometimes acts as a faultline between the two women as they each wrestle in their own way with whether they are truly the sinners the Bible suggests. True, I did spot one small anachronism (one might very well take receipt of a book by Jane Austen in the Year Without A Summer, but it wouldn't yet have had her name on it), but the really jarring element here was the format, a rigid 12-panel grid where, except in occasional interstitial pages, even when a single image carries across multiple panels it will still be cut up by the borders. This makes perfect artistic sense: it emphasises the physical and moral constraints of the time, the lives cut short by disease and disaster or shrunken by limited possibilities. It also means the story can sometimes be told in montage, or by the accumulation of small and telling details. But it does sacrifice the almost musical sweep and swoop of big images which for me has often been a key part of my enjoyment in a Tillie Walden comic. Still, sad as that is, the slower pace it compels suits a love story told across decades, something which often hits me hard, not least because we all know how they end even in the best case scenario. But even before the encroaching end, there's so much to tug the heartstrings here, from the paired list of the things the couple each love and can't stand about each other, to a simple chapter title like "It Is Wish'd She Would Live Again, But Years Pass And She Does Not". Not that it's all heartbreaking; there's sly wit, irritating relatives, all the stuff of human life, filtered through the particularities of the time (so that, for instance, Charity and Sylvia are sometimes saddened they can't have children – but watching the massive broods of others, the frequent infant and maternal mortality, the jeopardy of so many mouths to feed, they know that in many ways they've also had a lucky escape). Vast and moving and true, small panels or not.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

A human and compelling example of the power of the archival record. Renowned graphic novelist Tillie Walden’s latest Charity and Sylvia biographies the women of the title. At the start of our story in February 1807, Sylvia Drake was an unwed woman assisting in the care of her sister’s family. Charity Bryant is new to the town of Weybridge, Vermont and war a former teacher. Charity has moved to Weybridge to start over and escape rumors that have dogged her for years, in this new town she is setting up a tailoring practice.

Their meeting would be the start of a 44 year relationship as an openly Lesbian couple in a small town. It is not always an easy life, and not just because it was the late 19th century. They faced the disapproval of their families, rumors and unwanted advances from neighbors and passerby’s. But they still managed to be nearly inseparable and build a life and home together.

Alongside their lives, Walden ahas broken the narrative in to five sections documenting their full lives and placing them in context with events from the region and the greater American story. In the afterword, Walden spoke of how it is largely a work of nonfiction, but aspects had been shifted for the sake of narrative. Much of the content is based on their surviving correspondence. Walden draws also from Charity’s poetry showing how despite their surroundings they were true to themselves and their desires for love and companionship, even counter to the expectations of their families and community.

As a graphic novel, Walden wonderfully adjusts page contend and layouts. Having zoomed in sections helping show intimacy between the two, or their hands at work as tailors while they discuss issues in their lives. Walden also shows much of the landscape that shaped their day to day or the ways people of this time lived much more seasonally.

Recommended to readers of history, biographical works or graphic nonfiction.


I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[houk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful to have come across and then been given access to this graphic novel, during pride month no less. Charity and Sylvia follows characters of the book's namesake, a biographical account of the real lives of a lesbian couple in the early 19th century. I'm unaccustomed to reading a graphic novel so dense, and I'm so glad I pushed through the slight overwhelm in the beginning. Walden's illustrations are beautiful, her storytelling prowess displayed through both visual art and text. I'm wildly impressed by the degree of research required for something of this magnitude; the afterword dissolved me into tears. I am so very grateful for the archivists, historians, preservationists, and all associated parties for the retention of this story. Learning that nearly every record of correspondence throughout the book is directly taken from real letters between the women in question made my heart soar. The narrative structure of the book kept it easily digestible and smartly paced. In particular, the design choices really shine when Walden takes a moment to break the 12-panel form and highlight a moment of shared intimacy. Queer people have always existed, and in a time where attempts are being made to contest and even erase our history, stories like these are more important than ever. Walden has handled Charity and Sylvia's story with so much grace and tenderness; this is a story I will be thinking about a lot in the months and years to come. Many thanks as always to NetGalley and Drawn & Quarterly for access to this ARC!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading any Tillie Walden book is always a delight and this is certainly no different. This follows the lives of two women and their relationship as they grow older together in the 1800’s, and the best part is its a true story! Queer people have always existed and this is a great example of that.

Walden has clearly done a bunch of research and the inclusion of actual letters and poems written by the real people was a delightful addition. I can’t wait to look through the documents and Walden’s research on Charity and Sylvia.

I loved the choice in page layout as well, every page is made of 12 panels and when it breaks the formula in various ways it is very impactful. I always love Walden’s art and this certainly delivered her signature style.

It’s definitely on the slower side story wise but I didn’t have much issue with it as I was just extremely invested in finding out more about their lives. It’s a book you’ll definitely want to savour.

Thank you Drawn & Quarterly and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Tillie Walden banger.

This one is unexpected for me because I have an aversion to both biographies and period pieces, and Walden's biggest draw for me are her fiery colors. I was so ready to hate this.

But she did it again !

We follow Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake's relationship, as they navigate same-sex relations at the dawn of the United States.

The book is broken up in one or two page vignettes, much like the diary entries it is based on. It's a perfect balance between beautiful quiet moments, heavy hitting emotional ones, and the couples day to day lives. It lacks some of the fervour of her earlier work, but absolutely makes up for it in heart. And while Walden's gorgeous colors are definitely missed, she still managed to sneak in some really stunning pages.

Definitely not one to be missed this summer !

[Rae Hargrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first found Tillie Walden's work as a baby gay in college. On a Sunbeam remains one of the first pieces of queer media I read after coming to terms with my own identity, and it holds a special place in my heart. Now, a decade later, I'm a new resident of Vermont and was floored to learn that Charity & Sylvia weren't just the first known same-sex couple in Vermont - they're the first we have proof for in the country! Walden brings this complex bit of history to life with a thoughtfulness and richness only she could achieve. Their story is rendered as a deeply human, moving graphic novel that is absolutely worth your time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Drawn & Quarterly for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning graphic novel tells the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, and is both beautifully drawn and sensitively told. I was fully absorbed in their story, and it serves as a reminder that our lives are very different to those in the past, but at the same time we are very much the same. There is a human touch to the way they move through their lives in this book, with births and deaths and giggles and gossip, and I was in so deep that I let out an uncontrollable sob at the end. I couldn’t help looking around at the life I have with my own wife, hoping that Charity and Sylvia would know how much we feel for the queer women that went before us, who faced challenges of their time, but loved with their whole hearts anyway.

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To build is to love... to build is to survive... to build is to realize."

Tillie Walden's art makes you feel as if you could climb inside the panels, sit for dinner with Charity and Slyvia, walk the dirt roads of Weybridge, Vermont.

The dialogue reminds the reader that the characters in this story were real and ordinary, and that there is a beauty in that. At times, I found the overlapping dialogue confusing, but it never took me away from the story. In fact, it often helped me slow down to appreciate each panel further.

The pacing, especially with the ending is beautifully done. Queer people have always and will always exist and thrive!

[Haruka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!!! The storyline is interesting to read. The story about queer couple during the old days. There so much parts in the story about the towns, the people tho there some parts i feel a bit draggy. It was quite a slow read for me since the storyline was flat. I love the art style. Very pretty!! The way the story was told in 12 boxes per pages. It was refreshing reading it that way!! Great read!!
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Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~

[Grace Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tillie Walden has done it again! This is a departure from Walden's typical novels, but I absolutely loved it. This is a mostly true account of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Blake's life together in nineteenth century Vermont, and the liberties taken were careful and intentional. I was impressed how real and of their time the characters felt, yet there are still vignettes that transcended time and felt true to modern queer life.
Oh, and beautifully researched (there's a whole website of notes and bibliography! https://www.charityandsylvia.com/).

[Leslie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, at last.

This was a really beautiful story.
Woman have been led to believe these relationships did not exist, yet existed and tolerated, even respected. And this was not more than a hundred years from burning 'witches'.
How long the reach of the Patriarchy.
I felt myself waiting for the other shoe to drop- driven out of town on a stake, raped by men, exiled. There lies my own programmed homophobia as fear.
Excellent book. They struggle with religion but cannot agree their relationship is sinful. Meeting a preacher and his wife who are considered friends; where honesty and vulnerability revealed acceptance of their humanity. They were ahead of their time.

[Maxisagayweeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it’s nonfiction so it kind of gets a pass, but just a warning that this book is slow!

I requested it on NetGalley for historical lesbians depicted by Tillie Walden (whose work I have previously enjoyed) and it was educational and charming, and the sepia art was great, and the little asides and quips about the wider time period at the chapter breaks were impeccable!

Queer people have always been here!

[Emily Rems · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling biography that sheds light on a fascinating chapter of queer history—a lesbian couple living as life partners in 1800s Vermont. Gorgeous sepia artwork and imaginative storytelling bring primary source journals and letters to life in surprising and poignant ways. Impressive as scholarship while also absorbing and engaging.

[Basil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get to go to the pre release in Chicago for this one, and have been taking my time with it. I love this one, the way all the vignettes are crafted, the balancing of the tone and mood. It's funny, interesting, comforting, sweet, and heartbreaking. It's hard for me to put into words how much I loved this book, but I sobbed like a big ol baby when I finished it.

[Stacey Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational and also enjoyable book. I probably would have found the book by Rachel Hope Cleves that this book is based on somewhat dry and boring. But by making it a graphic novel adds interest. I have to say I'm not a great fan of the author/artist's style, but some of the pages were quite moving.

[Galen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't entirely engaged with every nuance of Charity and Sylvia's lives, but the sheer amount of research that went into this graphic novel is staggering. You can tell Walden poured herself into the lives of these women and the complex nature of their relati0nship and the time period they lived in. Walden's visual style is impeccable and lovely to read.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, quiet portrait of a life together.

[Wyrd Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful graphic novels I have ever read. It's gonna be considered a masterpiece!

[Laura Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW…just…W-O-W 😭

[Avynlea Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Love that it’s a true story and has great characters and illustrations!