Charles L. Heyde to Walt Whitman, 5 November, 1890

 duk.00454.001_large.jpg 5 Nov. '90 Studio, over Kitchen—

Fair day—windy however—lake rough—blustering. Han1 below doing domestic service—very much better in health— stronger, nervous somewhat—yet doing wonders, after her year of sore trial.

Recieved your imprint, or wonderfullwonderful compilation on classicaly poetic emanations by celebrities from times past, by all degrees. How true you wrote, that time composes, completes the understanding, qualifies the decree, as it were, finaly, justly of degrees, consumate excellence, superiority.

Yourself now Eminent: a Judge. You should have a liberal emolument, or price for this last, most complete production. I feel assured you will.

 duk.00454.002_large.jpg

I remember Bryant.2 You once brought him to my studio in Brooklyn. I can imagine or recall him now, as he sat on the extreme end of my lounge—High Priest of Nature! Thanatopsis! Durand essayd to color the theme from his rather weak (never vain palette.) A failure. The grand old rocks, ancient as the sun! ["]very new rocks" wrote one critic. Cole might, could have portrayd it, with his dramatic power!3

And now Walt, I am moved practicaly, for ourselves, life's subsistence—our homestead for many years, consecrated in a measure by good mother Whitmans4 presence, years ago, for a brief so-journ—and by Yours—well known.5 Have on taxes yet 10 dollars, 1 years interest, 15 dollars.

Charlie

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Notes

• 1. Hannah Louisa (Whitman) Heyde (1823–1908), youngest sister of Walt Whitman, married Charles Louis Heyde (ca. 1820–1892), a Pennsylvania-born landscape painter. Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor treatment of Hannah. Hannah and Charles Heyde lived in Burlington, Vermont. For more, see Paula K. Garrett, "Whitman (Heyde), Hannah Louisa (d. 1908)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
• 2. William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878) was famous both as a poet and as the editor-in-chief of the New York Evening Post from 1828 to 1878. [back]
• 3. Heyde refers to New York landscape painters Asher Brown Durand (1796–1886) and Thomas Cole (1801–1848). Durand painted Landscape—Scene from "Thanatopsis," inspired by Bryant's poem in 1850. In 1849, Durand had painted Kindred Spirits, a dramatic landscape painting that portrayed both Bryant and Cole standing on a rock outcropping. [back]
• 4. 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]
• 5. Whitman had visited Hannah and Charles Heyde in Burlington in June 1872, when he was invited to read a poem for the Dartmouth College graduation, an event that received a great deal of attention in the press. [back]