The Legacy of Christiana Morgan

Not far from Govs’ main campus, tucked along the Parker River in Newbury, Massachusetts, stands a mysterious stone tower. It feels like something out of a fairy tale, but it was actually the home and creative escape of Christiana Morgan. After watching Tower of Dreams, a documentary about her life and work, I found myself thinking a lot about how many brilliant women throughout history have gone unseen, and how easily their work and legacies get overlooked.

Christiana Morgan wasn’t just an artist, in fact, she was an intellectual key figure in psychology during the 20th century. She played a major role in developing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), one of the most famous psychological tools used to explore personality through storytelling. But despite her contribution, her name was largely left out of the credit. Instead, her partner, Harvard psychologist Dr. Henry (Harry) Murray, received most of the recognition.

Their relationship was also far from healthy. Harry was controlling and emotionally abusive, and things only got worse after Morgan started seeing Carl Jung. As part of her treatment, Jung encouraged her to explore her subconscious through dreams and active imagination, since her art was filled with deep symbolism and emotion. However he, too, became abusive towards Morgan and stole many of her drawings and published them as his own. In the end, Morgan died tragically, drowning under mysterious circumstances. 

But now, thanks to a new generation of Jungian female psychologists, Christiana Morgan is finally receiving recognition for her life’s work. Her story is a powerful reminder that women’s voices matter, even if they aren’t always heard right away. After this week’s presentation, I’m genuinely excited about the restoration project of Christiana Morgan’s tower. As someone who enjoys art, especially pieces containing historical and symbolic depth and knowledge, seeing what she created inside the tower has piqued my interest. Her artwork seems to carry layers of meaning that deserve more attention and study, especially within the Govs community since I feel we lack appreciation and understanding for the arts. I really hope the restoration gains more support so more people can help rediscover Christiana Morgan’s legacy and life's work.