I am afraid you will think my promise to write to you was not sincere but I have had
very little time to myself for letter writing but now that I have set about to
redeem my word I hope it will be welcome and receive a speedy reply from you. To
begin at the beginning of my visit I spent nearly three weeks in New York with Mr.
& Mrs. Northen1 and of course owu.00030.002.jpg had a splendid opportunity of going
about and seeing all I wanted in New York. I was quite fortunate with regard to the
weather as I believe we only had two real stormy days while I was there. One thing I
enjoyed about as much as any was the exhibition of pictures out at the Museum in the
Park. Miss Woolf's2 collection, the very rich lady who died a
year or so ago, was there also a large number of others including the one given by
Vanderbilt called "The Horse Fair."3 I believe
owu.00030.003.jpg looking at beautiful pictures and
hearing good music are my chief pleasures with of course reading added the last a
thing one could hardly exist without.
I went over to Brooklyn to call on Jo. Barkelor.4 You of course remember her, she was so fond Grandma5 and is one of your ardent admirers. I did enjoy seeing her so much as I was unfortunate to miss her when I called last July as she had sailed for Europe the day before.
She is a very lovely and smart owu.00030.004.jpg woman. Well to proceed with my trip I left New York on the
twentieth of February for Hartford and have enjoyed my visit so far very much. These
friends were new last fall but I almost feel as if I had known them always,
particularly one from Ireland who is on a visit to America for
the first time. Next Saturday I go to another friend's house
for a couple of weeks which will about end my traveling about and turn my face once
more towards Burlington.
Correspondent:
Jessie Louisa Whitman
(1863–1957) was the second and youngest daughter of Whitman's brother
Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Whitman (1833–1890) and Jeff's wife Martha
Mitchell Whitman (1836–1873).