Walt Whitman to Robert Pearsall Smith, 15 May 1887

About This Item

Title: Walt Whitman to Robert Pearsall Smith, 15 May 1887
Date: May 15, 1887
Creator(s): Walt Whitman
Whitman Archive ID: loc.03835
Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.

Notes for this letter were created by Whitman Archive staff and/or were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented or updated by Whitman Archive staff.
Contributors to digital file: Alex Ashland Stefan Schöberlein Kevin McMullen Stephanie Blalock
Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Robert Pearsall Smith, 15 May 1887." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 23 April 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Source File: loc.03835.xml (TEI)

loc_jc.00186_large.jpg Camden1 Sunday Afternoon
May 15

Am ab't as usual—get out a little, (with the horse & wagon) but not much. As I write the mocking-bird is singing over the way, & my canary—Love to A2 and L3—

Walt Whitman

loc_jc.00185_large.jpg

Correspondent:
Robert Pearsall Smith (1827–1898) was a Quaker who became an evangelical minister associated with the "Holiness movement." He was also a writer and businessman. Whitman often stayed at his Philadelphia home, where the poet became friendly with the Smith children—Mary, Logan, and Alys. For more information about Smith, see Christina Davey, "Smith, Robert Pearsall (1827–1898)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998).

Notes

1. This postal card is addressed: R Pearsall Smith | 1307 Arch Street | Philadelphia. It is postmarked: Camden, N.J. | May 16 | 6 AM | 87; Received | May | 16 | 7AM |[illegible]. [back]
2. Alys Smith (1867–1951) was a daughter of Robert Pearsall Smith and the sister of Mary Whitall Smith Costelloe. She eventually married the philosopher Bertrand Russell. [back]
3. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946) was an essayist and literary critic. He was the son of Robert Pearsall Smith. For more information on Logan, see Christina Davey "Smith, Logan Pearsall (1865–1946)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]