2nd Known Photo of Emily Dickinson Surfaces

If you're a lover of poetry, history, and mystery, listen up: Amherst College believes a photo that first surfaced in 2007 is indeed one of Emily Dickinson—making it just the second known image of the poet in existence, reports the Guardian. The previously verified photo is one of a teenage Dickinson, taken in 1847. The new 1859 daguerreotype, which was in the possession of a New England collector and shows the hint of a smile, underwent some pretty serious scrutiny.

A Dartmouth professor measured the facial features of the women in the respective photos, and found that, among other similarities, "The left lower lid in both women sits lower than the right lower lid. The right earlobe is higher on both women." They even displayed the same ... "central hair cowlick," leading her to deem them the same person. Amherst also dug through the Emily Dickinson Museum's textile collection and found a fabric sample that could match the dress shown in the image, which is also thought to feature Dickinson's widowed friend Kate Scott Turner. If it does indeed turn out to be Dickinson, Amherst believes it will "change our idea of her, providing a view of the poet as a mature woman showing striking presence, strength, and serenity." Click for more Dickinson intrigue. (More Emily Dickinson stories.)