The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: Walt Whitman to the editors of the New Orleans Picayune, 17 January 1887
Date: January 17, 1887
Whitman Archive ID: yal.00243
Source: Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book
and Manuscript 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.
Notes for this letter were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented, updated, or created by Whitman Archive staff as appropriate.
Contributors to digital file: Stefan Schöberlein, Ian Faith, Kevin McMullen, and Stephanie Blalock
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Camden1
Jan. 17 '87— P M
The "Press" newspaper of Philadelphia has just sent over to say to me that they would like to have the article "New Orleans in 1848"2 (MS. sent on by me) to print it in their columns—with your permission—Jan. 25, giving you due credit, & saying it appears in your columns that day—So if agreeable send them an early proof, for that purpose—address "R W Kerswell, "Press" newspaper Philadelphia"—(I have just promised Mr K to write the foregoing)—
Walt Whitman
Correspondent:
As yet we have no information about
this correspondent.
Notes:
1. This letter is addressed: Editor Picayune | newspaper | New Orleans | Louisiana. It is postmarked: Camden | Jan | 17 | 8 PM | 1887 | N.J.; Philadelphia, Pa. | Jan | 17 | 9 PM | 1887 | Transit. [back]
2. On January 11 Walt Whitman had received a request from the Picayune for an account of his experiences in New Orleans, which was to appear on January 25, the newspaper's "fiftieth year edition" (Prose Works 1892, ed. by Floyd Stovall, 2 vols. [1963–1964], 605). The poet sent the article on January 16 and received $25 (Whitman's Commonplace Book, Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). [back]