[ Catharine Victoria Thompson, astrologer and Baconian. ] Small collection of papers, including typescripts titled 'A Boston Woman Who Has Made Good' (autobiographical), 'Twelve Great Character Groups' and 'Horoscope of Calvin Coolidge'.

Thompson was a well-known Boston astrologer in the early decades of the twentieth century, with a lucrative private practice and columns in the 'Ladies Home Journal' and the 'Boston Globe', the latter syndicated to nearly a hundred other American newspapers. In August 1933 she was unmasked as a fraud by a disgruntled secretary in an article in the 'Ladies Home Journal'. Seven items, in good condition, on paper with light signs of age. ONE: Typescript titled 'A Boston Woman Who Has Made Good | Catherine Howard Thompson'. Dated internally to 1916. With manuscript corrections and the whole of the first paragraph (in which she states that her birth 'occurred the year Donati's comet visited the earth') deleted. 7pp., 4to, paginated 3-9. Breaks off abruptly. Giving a lurid account of her life. For example: 'Mrs. Thompson was brought into connection with Astrology through the failure of her husband in Wall Street, which swept everything away. [...] After three years in Washington Mrs. Thompson returned to New York determined to study this fascinating science of Astrology and make it her life-work. She was fortunate in having for a teacher the late Dr. Broughton of Yorkshire, England [Luke Dennis Broughton (1828-1898) ] [...] Dr. Broughton assured Mrs. Thompson that with her splendid education and with the help of her psychic gift, that she would become successful and famous in the predictions she would make'. She describes her early work in New York City, and her foundation of the magazine 'The Sphinx' ('As was to be expected, this immense amount of brain-work brought a reaction'). 'In 1911 Mrs. Thompson put out a brochure entitled "The New Aquarian Age" or the "Age of Something for Nothing," predicting that Hotels for Workingmen would be built where he could get a room and bath for ten cents, and a course dinner for ten cents extra. There is today a chain of Ten Cent Hotels, and some in Boston. Mrs. Thompson also predicted the present war and the Revolution that is to follow when the armies return home.' In 1913 she fills 'a six-weeks engagement at B. F. Keith's Theatre, lecturing with slides on the "Zodiac" and "Constellations" and taking Horoscopes from the audience, throwing them on the screen and reading them off, giving dates of "coming events" and appeared every two hours four and five times a day. TWO: Carbon typescript titled 'Horoscope of Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States born Thursday, July 4, 1872, 9.00 A. M. Plymouth, Vermont.' Signed in type by Thompson and dated from Boston, 16 February 1925. 6pp., 4to. THREE: Carbon typescript titled 'Twelve Great Character Groups | Depending upon the position of the Sun in the Zodia', 'Copyrighted by Catherine Victoria Thompson Boston, Mass: 1931'. 13pp., 4to. Containing individual pages devoted to the twelve signs of the zodiac. FOUR: Three incomplete Baconian items. First, a carbon typescript titled 'The Tercentenary of Shaksper's Death by Catharine Howard Thompson'. 2pp., 4to. With a couple of manuscript additions. Pushing the Baconian line. First two pages only. Second, a carbon typescript titled 'Measure for Measure and its Esoteric Teaching'. 1p., 4to. First page only. Third, three 4to pages of carbon typescripts of quotations from Shakespeare and Bacon. FIVE: Duplicated astrological typescript on yellow paper titled 'Lesson 3'. 9pp., 4to. SIX: Certified copy of Thompson's marriage certificate, compiled and signed by registrar H. K. Lewis. The marriage took place at Greenwich on 28 February 1880. Howard's maiden name is given as 'Catharine Howard Walton', her father's occupation is 'Diamond Merchant', and her husband is a 'Hardware Merchant'. SEVEN: Manuscript astrological table in black and red ink. 2pp., folio. One page headed 'Fluctuations of Sugar for June 1898' and the other Fluctuations of Sugar (Preferred Stock)'.