I write you from the Reading Room of the British Museum.
I am here looking into some early history and being a little tired I wished to have
something to refresh me so that I called for "Leaves of Grass" published in 1855 in
Brooklyn New York— a rare picturesque old book 4°. I have just laid it down and taken
up my pen to tell you of the fresh and vigorous fruit loc.02364.002_large.jpg your rattling sentences have
filled me with. If compliments are not disagreeable to you when sincere or whether
they are or not I now take the liberty of telling you that there is more of the
essence of life and movement in your Leaves of Grass than anything I have ever met
with and that it is one of those few books whose vacancy could not be
loc.02364.003_large.jpg readily supplied
by another. A man or woman with any life could not help but be electrified by your
immense sweeps in those inspiring sentences. Being away from home I think I feel
more keenly the spirit of your verses.
I hope that this will find you well and I also hope that I may receive a line from
you loc.02364.004_large.jpg telling me
of your well being.
My address is No 48 Rue d'Orsel Paris.
Very affectionately yours Percy Ives.Correspondent:
Percy Ives, grandson of
Elisa Leggett, was an aspiring artist who made several pencil sketches of
Whitman on December 21, 1881. They resulted in the oil painting now in the
Feinberg Collection (Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). On August 11, 1885, Whitman wrote to Percy in answer
to a letter now lost. See Charles E. Feinberg, "Percy Ives, Detroit and Walt
Whitman," Detroit Historical Society Bulletin 16
(February 1960), 5–8.