Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Autograph letter : [Camden, New Jersey], to Helen Price, [1873 after Feb. 22].

BIB_ID
335512
Accession number
MA 918.38
Creator
Whitman, Louisa Van Velsor, 1795-1873.
Display Date
[1873 after Feb. 22].
Credit line
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan before 1913.
Description
1 item (2 p.) ; 20.1 cm
Notes
Date and location of writing inferred from contents of the letter: Mattie Whitman died of cancer on Feb. 19, 1873 and this letter is apparently written after Whitman's first report of Mattie's death on Feb. 22 (?), 1873 (MA 918.37).
Part of a collection of letters from Walt Whitman to Abby Price, his mother Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, and others. Items in the collection have been described individually; see related collection-level record for more information.
Provenance
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan from Helen E. Price before 1913.
Summary
Apologizing for the delay in her response, noting "if only you knew how down hearted I have felt lately" she would understand that Whitman has been unable to write a cheerful letter and remarking that "since Mattie died I have felt as if I could not be ever cheerful again." Noting that she does not like Camden and "can never feel contented." Hoping that Walt recovers; mentioning that Lou is in the "family way," that George is not often at home, and that Jeff has "broke up housekeeping" and will resume work soon.