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Walt Whitman to Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, [before 23 May 1873]

About This Item

  • Title: Walt Whitman to Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, [before 23 May 1873]
  • Date: Before May 23, 1873
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: duk.00665
  • Source: The Trent Collection of Whitmaniana, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. The transcription presented here is derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), 221. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, [before 23 May 1873]." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 04 December 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: duk.00665.xml (TEI)

Mother1, I will write only a short letter this time, as I have a good deal of work to do to-day in the office. Every thing goes on with me just the same as usual—I hope you are feeling well, dear mother, & the rest too.2

Walt

Notes

  • 1. Louisa Van Velsor Whitman (1795–1873) married Walter Whitman, Sr., in 1816; together they had nine children, of whom Walt was the second. The close relationship between Louisa and her son Walt contributed to his liberal view of gender representation and his sense of comradeship. For more information on Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, see Sherry Ceniza, "Whitman, Louisa Van Velsor (1795–1873)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
  • 2. This letter fragment is impossible to date precisely. Edwin Haviland Miller dated it to no later than May 23, 1873. [back]
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