After all, not to create only

Whitman Archive Title: After all, not to create only
Whitman Archive ID: loc.00382
Repository: Catalog of the Walt Whitman Literary Manuscripts in The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839-1919, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Box: 25
Folder: After All, Not to Create Only (1871). Manuscript Drafts and Notes.
Series: Literary File
Date: about 1871
Genre: poetry
Physical Description: 30 leaves, largest 25 x 20 cm, handwritten
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Content: Bound manuscript of "After all, not to create only." Although the manuscript contains many revisions, it appears to be relatively near the final draft. Whitman wrote this poem following a request by the Committee on Invitations of the American Institute to deliver an original poem at the opening of the Fortieth Annual Exhibition. "After All, Not to Create Only" was first published in 1871. It was later revised and the title changed to "Song of the Exposition."