The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: Charles L. Heyde to Walt Whitman, 19 April 1887
Date: April 19, 1887
Whitman Archive ID: duk.00406
Source: The Trent Collection of Whitmaniana, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. 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.
Contributors to digital file: Alex Kinnaman, Stefan Schöberlein, Ian Faith, Stephanie Blalock, and Nicole Gray
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Burlington Vermont
April 19 1887
Dear Walt.
Han has recd all of your postals and copy of Camden Paper and Tribune; over report of your grand success at Madison Theatre she fairly revels in exultation. She is strong enough to go out now, visiting.
I have had a pretty fair success past winter at low prices, but just now there is a halt. The lake is frozen over yet, and the country roads so impeded that it interrupts all business.
A new Hotel is opening here, and the proprietor encourages me much, but I must wait. I have not gone behind hand, yet our coal is exhausted, and am in need of colors: I have several large and small pictures on hand which I hope to sell toward June & July. I would like to go to California on trial, yet misgivings intrude at this point, there has been so much disaster—
Could you help me ever so little—send it to Han for my use. My sister has assisted me the same—to keep out of debt.
Miller continues his very enthusiastic letters—
Charlie
Correspondent:
Charles Louis Heyde (ca.
1820–1892), a French-born landscape painter, married Hannah Louisa Whitman
(1823–1908), Walt Whitman's sister, and they lived in Burlington, Vermont.
Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor
treatment of Hannah. For more information about Heyde, see Steven Schroeder,
"Heyde, Charles Louis (1822–1892)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).