Roses and rosettes-the two sides of James Homer Wright

James Homer Wright is a distinguished figure in the history of pathology and one of the founders of the discipline in the hospitals of Harvard Medical School. While he has been recognized as a highly accomplished investigative pathologist, historical sources have described him as austere, formidable, forbidding, disheartening, and gruff. Wright once did something seemingly so impulsive that it astonished his colleagues. When he heard a beautiful Norwegian contralto named Aagot Lunde perform, he anonymously sent her roses on a daily basis until she eventually agreed to meet him. They fell in love, married, and lived happily together until Aagot's death. This article paper explores the lives and careers of J. Homer Wright and Aagot Lunde Wright using unique archival materials as well as newspaper and magazine coverage of their life and travels together. After their marriage, Aagot soon stopped performing, but Mrs. Wright continued as a New England socialite for about a decade, which also coincided with the timeframe in which J. Homer made almost all of his important discoveries. James Homer Wright was covertly a romantic who thrived academically when supported by his wife, both of their families, and close friends.