By all appearances, Henry James lived a life as privileged as many of his characters—but it was a life filled with lacunae and secrets. His father Henry James, Sr. was one of the first American millionaires, and the son of an Irish immigrant whose father was a banker and investor. Mary’s mother came from an old New York family, with pedigree and wealth.
Henry James Jr. was born on April 15, 1843 at Washington Place, around the corner from Washington Square, in New York City, into a family of remarkable intellectual achievement. He had three brothers and a younger sister. His older brother, William, was a pioneer in the emerging field of psychology; he was also among the founders of...
