She published "Concord Sketches" with a preface by her sister Louisa May (Boston, 1869). After having studied in Europe, she had become "an accomplished artist" by the 1870s, and her works during that time showed marked improvement compared to the earlier illustrations for "Little Women" and the "quirky" depiction of Walden Pond in "Concord Sketches." Her works after her European studies and exposure to great works of art reflected "a surer hand, a clearer focus, and a broader vision as the world".