Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar for 1894, Mark Twain. Each chapter of the novel begins with an aphorism attributed to Pudd’nhead Wilson’s “calendar,” an almanac written by a character in the book.

 Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar for 1894, Mark Twain. Each chapter of the novel begins with an aphorism attributed to Pudd’nhead Wilson’s “calendar,” an almanac written by a character in the book. 

The Morgan Library & Museum 

Switched at birth?

Mark Twain’s novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” first serialized in Century magazine, tells the story of two boys switched at birth—one a white aristocrat, the other an enslaved child of mixed Black and white ancestry. The indeterminate race of the latter, who is called Chambers, allows him to pass as the white man Tom Driscoll, highlighting the power of mixed-race characters to self-determine their identity. But as in many passing narratives, the characters in Twain’s book come to the unfortunate realization that they are not in control of how the world views them.

Each chapter of the novel begins with an aphorism attributed to Pudd’nhead Wilson’s “calendar,” an almanac written by a character in the book. To promote the serialized novel, the Century Company published under a fictional imprint this small format calendar, distributing it to bookstores and newsstands.

This calendar is on view until May 4, 2025.

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Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar for 1894, [New York: Century, 1893], purchased in 1934; PML 30089. Photography by Carmen González Fraile, 2024.

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