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Camden N J—U S America1
July 21 '91
Hot weather cont'd—depress'd cond'n with me—Horace2 ret'd f'm
Wash'n yesterday—Mrs: O'C[onner]3 is still in office, & ab't same
(is not well)—they talk'd the Life Saving Book4
into plan & shape—hear copiously f'm the Bolton friends5—am sitting
here as usual—
aff: regards to Mrs6 & Mr C[ostelloe]7 & the Smiths8—took
my breakfast with zest this forenoon, (the best sign I can send)—
Walt Whitman
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Correspondent:
Richard Maurice Bucke (1837–1902) was a
Canadian physician and psychiatrist who grew close to Whitman after reading Leaves of Grass in 1867 (and later memorizing it) and
meeting the poet in Camden a decade later. Even before meeting Whitman, Bucke
claimed in 1872 that a reading of Leaves of Grass led him
to experience "cosmic consciousness" and an overwhelming sense of epiphany.
Bucke became the poet's first biographer with Walt
Whitman (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1883), and he later served as one
of his medical advisors and literary executors. For more on the relationship of
Bucke and Whitman, see Howard Nelson, "Bucke, Richard Maurice," Walt Whitman: An
Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York:
Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. This letter is addressed:
Dr Bucke | care Mr Costelloe | 40 Grosvenor road | the Embankment | London |
England. It is postmarked: Camden, N.J. | Jul 21 | 12 M | 91; Philadelphia, Pa.
| Jul 21 | 3 PM | Paid. [back]
- 2. Horace L. Traubel (1858–1919)
was an American essayist, poet, and magazine publisher. He is best remembered as
the literary executor, biographer, and self-fashioned "spirit child" of Walt
Whitman. During the late 1880s and until Whitman's death in 1892, Traubel visited
the poet virtually every day and took thorough notes of their conversations,
which he later transcribed and published in three large volumes entitled With Walt Whitman in Camden (1906, 1908, & 1914).
After his death, Traubel left behind enough manuscripts for six more volumes of
the series, the final two of which were published in 1996. For more on Traubel,
see Ed Folsom, "Traubel, Horace L. [1858–1919]," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 3. Ellen M. "Nelly" O'Connor was the
wife of William D. O'Connor (1832–1889), one of Whitman's staunchest
defenders. Whitman dined with the O'Connors frequently during his Washington
years, and he speaks often in his letters of their daughter Jean, by nickname
"Jenny" or "Jeannie." Though Whitman and William O'Connor would break in late
1872 over Reconstruction policies with regard to emancipated black citizens,
Ellen would remain friendly with Whitman. The correspondence between Whitman and
Ellen is almost as voluminous as the poet's correspondence with William. For
more on Whitman's relationship with the O'Connors, see also Dashae E. Lott, "William Douglas O'Connor,"
Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, J.R. LeMaster and Donald
D. Kummings, ed., (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 4. William Douglas O'Connor
worked for the United States Lighthouse Board (eventually the Life Saving
Service) for many years, becoming Assistant General Superintendent in 1878; his
book of nonfiction about lighthouse keepers, Heroes of the
Storm, was eventually published in 1904. [back]
- 5. The "Bolton College" was a
group of Whitman admirers located in Bolton, England. Founded by Dr. John
Johnston (1852–1927) and James William Wallace (1853–1926), the
group corresponded with Whitman and Horace Traubel throughout the final years of
the poet's life. For more information on Johnston, see Larry D. Griffin, "Johnston, Dr. John (1852–1927)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). For more information on Wallace, see Larry D.
Griffin, "Wallace, James William (1853–1926)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 6. Mary Whitall Smith Costelloe
(1864–1945) was a political activist, art historian, and critic, whom
Whitman once called his "staunchest living woman friend." A scholar of Italian
Renaissance art and a daughter of Robert Pearsall Smith, she would in 1885 marry
B. F. C. "Frank" Costelloe. She had been in contact with many of Whitman's
English friends and would travel to Britain in 1885 to visit many of them,
including Anne Gilchrist shortly before her death. For more, see Christina
Davey, "Costelloe, Mary Whitall Smith (1864–1945)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D.
Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 7. Benjamin Francis Conn ("Frank")
Costelloe (1854–1899), Mary Costelloe's first husband, was an English
barrister and Liberal Party politician. [back]
- 8. Whitman is referring to the family
of the evangelical minister Robert Pearsall Smith (1827–1898) and his wife
Hannah Whitall Smith (1831–1911). The Smiths had three children: Mary
Whitall Smith Costelloe (1864–1945), Logan Pearsall Smith
(1865–1946), and Alys Pearsall Smith (1867–1951). The Smith family
were all friends and supporters of Whitman. For more about the Smith family, see
Christina Davey, "Smith, Robert Pearsall (1827–1898)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]