Edgar Allan Poe Date: Circa 1848 This portrait of Edgar Allan Poe, taken around 1848, shows the famed American writer in his final years. His tired but piercing eyes reflect the melancholy and intensity that defined both his life and his work. Poe’s influence on literature is immeasurable. He pioneered the short story, developed the detective fiction genre, and elevated the Gothic tradition through his haunting explorations of death, love, and the human psyche. By this time, Poe had endured prof