Life & Letters

Correspondence

About this Item

Title: Walt Whitman to Herbert Gilchrist, 15 September 1885

Date: September 15, 1885

Whitman Archive ID: upa.00079

Source: Walt Whitman Collection, 1842–1957, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania. 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.

Notes for this letter were created by Whitman Archive staff and/or were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented or updated by Whitman Archive staff.

Contributors to digital file: Stefan Schöberlein, Kyle Barton, and Nicole Gray



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Sept. 15 '85
328 Mickle Street
Camden New Jersey
U S America1

My dear friend

Yours of Sept: 5 just rec'd. Rossetti's remittance by p. o. drafts &c. duly reached me, & I have the money—(& very opportune it is.)2 Edward Carpenter sent me £50 lately—the affectionate noble-hearted young man3

As far as I can perceive & understand your scheme is managed admirably & to my entire satisfaction & deepest gratitude. With me personally here every thing moves in pretty much the old current—not quite so well for bodily health of late & at present—yet not much different. The Staffords are well—Harry has a very fair situation (address RR Station, Marlton, New Jersey) & has a little printing office, besides his RR agency—Ruth is in Kansas, married to Wm Gouldy4—Ed called here a few days ago5—reported every one well6


W W

______________________________________________________________________

—Herbert here are some names of friends (or used to be friends) of L of G. and W. W. for your private information:
Cyril Flower Surrey House, Hyde Park Place—(used to read L of G. call'd upon me at Washington 14 years ago)7
John Addington Symonds, Davos, Platz-Switzerland
C Oscar Gridley, 9 Duke street London Bridge—call'd on me here8
H Buxton Forman, 46 Marlborough Street St John's Wood
G C Macaulay, Rugby
H J Bathgate, Oakenholt Hall, near Flint


Correspondent:
Herbert Harlakenden Gilchrist (1857–1914), son of Alexander and Anne Gilchrist, was an English painter and editor of Anne Gilchrist: Her Life and Writings (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1887). For more information, see Marion Walker Alcaro, "Gilchrist, Herbert Harlakenden (1857–1914)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998).

Notes:

1. This letter is addressed: Herbert H Glichrist | 12 Well Road | Hampstead | London | England. It is postmarked: Philad [illegible] | S [illegible] | 18 [illegible] | Pa [illegible]; London N.W. | Z 7 | SP25 | 85. [back]

2. On August 25 Rossetti sent the first installment of £22.2.6, or $107.54. [back]

3. See the letter from Whitman to Edward Carpenter of August 3, 1885[back]

4. Ruth Stafford (1866–1939) married William C. Goldy (not Gouldy) [1863–1907] on August 19, 1884, and left for Topeka, Kansas, on January 20, 1885 (Whitman's Commonplace Book, Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). Her first child, born on June 27, 1885, was named Amy Whitman Goldy. See Whitman's letter to Herbert Gilchrist of September 22, 1885[back]

5. Probably Harry's brother, Edwin. [back]

6. Whitman did not inform Herbert that Deborah (Stafford) Browning gave birth to a daughter on February 2, 1885 (Whitman's Commonplace Book). The child, Ruth, died on July 26. [back]

7. Flower, an English barrister, met Whitman in Washington in December, 1870 (see the letter from Whitman to Cyril Flower of February 2, 1872). [back]

8. Gridley, who was the secretary of the Carlyle Society, called on Whitman in April, 1884 (Whitman's Commonplace Book). He contributed to the offering in 1885 (Horace Traubel, With Walt Whitman in Camden, Saturday, February 23, 1889). [back]


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