 Browne was at the forefront of the 20th century intellectual and literary scene in Chicago, Illinois.A transplant from New England, Browne settled in Chicago in 1867 and founded the literary journal, "The Dial", which was a revival of Margaret Fuller’s transcendental periodical and served as a venue for modernist literature.Browne found Chicago to be somewhat inhospitable to significant intellectual ventures and sacrificed much of his own wealth in the pursuit of "The Dial"’s success.