Camden, N. J.,
March 24, 1891
Y'rs of 9th rec'd1 with pay—& I now send the
big book complete works2 same address as this card—Kindly
send me word when it safely reaches you, notifying me.3
Walt Whitman
Correspondent:
Henry Scott Tuke
(1858–1929) was an English photographer and painter who specialized in
male nudes and maritime themes. Among his acquaintances were Oscar Wilde and
John Addington Symonds, who also corresponded with Whitman. Tuke moved to
Swanpool in 1885 and painted from a fishing boat that he converted into a
floating studio. For more on Tuke's artistic work, see C. Kains-Jackson, "H. S.
Tuke, A.R.A.," The Magazine of Art 26 (1902):
337–343.
Notes
- 1. Whitman is referring to
Tuke's letter of March 9, 1891. [back]
- 2. Whitman's Complete Poems & Prose (1888), a volume Whitman often referred to
as the "big book," was published by the poet himself—in an arrangement
with publisher David McKay, who allowed Whitman to use the plates for both Leaves of Grass and Specimen
Days—in December 1888. With the help of Horace Traubel, Whitman made
the presswork and binding decisions for the volume. Frederick Oldach bound the
book, which included a profile photo of the poet on the title page. For more
information on the book, see Ed Folsom, Whitman Making Books/Books Making Whitman: A Catalog and
Commentary (University of Iowa: Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, 2005). [back]
- 3. Tuke, a young Englishman,
sent 25 shillings for a copy of Leaves of Grass on March 9, 1891: "I cannot tell you what a blessed
thing it was to me when I found your poems, & I could say the same of
several other young Englishmen I know." [back]