The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: Walt Whitman to William Carey, 28 September 1887
Date: September 28, 1887
Whitman Archive ID: med.00810
Source: The location of this manuscript is unknown. Miller derives his transcription from a summary of the letter published in a catalog of the American Art Association (December 12, 1934). The transcription presented here is derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), 4:124. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Contributors to digital file: Ryan Furlong, Stefan Schöberlein, and Stephanie Blalock
September 28, 18871
["Indicating that Walt Whitman had sent Carey photographs2 and would send more later."]
Walt Whitman
Correspondent:
William Carey
(1858–1901) worked for the editorial department of The
Century Magazine. The September 1887 issue of the monthly advertised
signed photographs of Whitman (taken by George C. Cox earlier that summer). See
also Whitman's letter to Cox of September 15,
1887.
Notes:
1. Only this summary of the letter could be located. [back]
2. The well-known celebrity photographer George Cox (1851–1903) proposed selling signed copies of his photographs of Whitman. However, when the September 1887 issue of Century appeared with an advertisement, Whitman still had not seen proofs, much less signed the photographs. He wrote John H. Johnston on September 1, 1887, "He advertises . . . to sell my photo, with autograph. The latter is forged, & the former illegal & unauthorized." The disagreement was quickly resolved, and Whitman signed photographs for Cox and returned them. Cox had taken multiple photographs of Whitman in April, 1887, including the image known as "The Laughing Philosopher." [back]