The youngest of the Slater siblings, Helen is twenty-one years old when we meet her in September 1893. The year hasn’t been easy for her: what with her Poppa’s unexpected death in February, Helen has had to find work outside the house to help her family make ends meet. Currently, she works six days a week at the Metropolitan Cloak & Novelty Company as a seamstress—though, the wages she gets in return do little in paying the rent.

Helen likes to draw in her spare time, a shared hobby with her older brother Jesse. She enjoys sketching out the latest fashions of the day, and (if she has the time) she’ll pick out fabrics and sew her creations together, for family and friends to wear. Ivy is Helen’s biggest supporter when it comes to following her talents to see where they’ll lead—an idea Helen consistently shoots down, citing her family’s circumstances and expectations of her. While the mission to save her family takes precedence in her life, Helen unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery the day we meet her—culminating in a revelation that will change the way she sees herself, and her purpose in the world around her. 

Helen is one of the “First Four”, a nickname for the first four original characters I created. Looking through my notes over the years, it’s no surprise she’s the most autobiographical of my characters—having been created from one of the various versions of “Cartoon Hannah”, a caricature of myself dating back to at least 2009 or 2010. 

Going under the name “Halle” (and later “Haline”), Helen has starred as a main narrator in this story-world since 2011. Usually she’s worked as a servant or domestic worker for Alice’s family, forging their relationship as unlikely acquaintances. In 2018, my research on the relationship between women and domestic labor in the late 19^th century informed my decision to switch Helen to the factory, with a background in domestic service to maintain her connection with Alice. Since then, much of her personality, fears, doubts, and ambitions (to say nothing of her close bond with her siblings) have been drawn from life. In many ways, Helen today is a distillation of my own journey of self-discovery and purpose.

In 2021, research into enslavement in northern New Jersey informed my decision to change Helen and her family to a mixed-race background, bringing to light a complicated (if incomplete and unfinished) part of American history not often told in popular 19^th century literature.  

Helen’s nickname “Hennie” comes from Top Girls, a play written by Caryl Churchill that I discovered in 2017. I really liked “Hennie’s” youthful yet period-appropriate sound, especially when compared to the names Helen was going by at the time (“Halle”, “Haline”, etc.). Its uncommonness furthered its appeal to me. While usually a diminutive for the name Henrietta, I’ve chosen “Hennie” to be a pet form of the name Helen, used by her family and very close friends. “Hen”, Helen’s other nickname, is a diminutive of “Hennie”.  

Helen’s doll was created by my aunt for Christmas 2021, replacing her Christmas 2014 doll. Her current outfit was sewn by me either in 2020 or 2021.

Songs whose lyrics and/or melody call to mind scenes involving Helen; character development and beliefs; or general moods and themes from over the years.

Alice

Caleb

Ivy

Jesse

Mae

Mathilda