Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Helen Hunt, Jan 1, 1871
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Helen Hunt, Jan 1, 1871
Subject
Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876
Jackson, Helen Hunt
Stebbins, Emma, 1815-1882
Social Events--Travels
Journalists/Writers
Arts--Literature
Praise
Relationships--Networks
Description
The letter is the answer to a former letter included in this collection, item 214. Charlotte Cushman admires Helen Hunt for her poems and calls her a "gentlewoman."
Transcripts courtesy of Nancy Knipe, Colorado College.
Transcripts courtesy of Nancy Knipe, Colorado College.
Creator
Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876
Date
1871-01-01
Type
Reference
Letter Item Type Metadata
Text
you see I cannot yet write the new year
Just one single word, Carissima mia, to say how much I thank you for the sweet little book which came to me last night, upon which I passed out of the old year, into the new, reading to Miss Stebbins & Mrs. Garland. We had made up our minds as we were home all alone & likely to be quite interrupted that we should wait up to see the last of the old year; - as if to comfort & help us, by the Evening post came this dear little booklet, which has delighted us all. It strikes me dear as being in sweet harmony all through – subjects, [endearing?] tone, feeling, & material [underlined] all are delicate, sweet, unexaggerated womanly, pure & strong. The getting up of the book too is very very pretty, the little letters beginning the poems, the tone & consistency of the paper, the binding & the nice cleanly paper outside the binding, all [underlined] is as though it came from a gentlewoman’s hands, & so it has, & I admire it as much as you would wish I should do. I like especially the opening poem, “[Spinning”?] and [?] but why should I particularize? I like especially all – they read much more smoothly in this form & I am very glad you were persuaded to publish them & you were so right to keep to your “HH,” wh [sic] is what you are [underlined] to the public [underlined], & they have no right to any more. Whey is the mob to come to your holy of holies when the loud ones only have a right to ask to come. No dear, “Jamie,” is a [canny?] boy, but you were right and this booklet will go far & wide & make you much known. I am going to send some of them over the water to “those who know.” How lovely is “March” & “Down to Sleep” & “Return to the Hills,” “Message” “Wooed” “Iron” “Best Transplanted” “At Last” “My [?]” – all of these which I knew before, I know better now, & love them more, & the whole 78 are beautiful, & the Dedication lovely but I love my [underlined] little Welcome” dearly. I am afraid to show it to any body for the same reason that I was ashamed to give to any one the very beautiful photograph which [Mme?] Le Jeune made of me in Naples. I am afraid they will think I believe I have any right to be so shown or so estimated. Will you tell me who is A.C.L.B,? and will you tell me how you have published – are these your [underlined] books to dispose of, and is it any thing to you, where they are bought or have you any preference where they shall be ordered from, tell me. Dear, it is most likely Mrs. Garland Miss Stebbins’ sister will come with me to Newport. She is a sweet person with the old old “history,” a timid shy, proud person, you will like her, & it is for [underlined] her I wanted the extra room, which you will write me about. She has a sweet poetic mind & she knows your poems very very well. I am so troubled for you, dearie, that you are so ailing, & that you are not comfortable, for how can you be so in one room? I hope your own apartment will be ready sooner than you think. Tell me dear about the best way of going from New York to Newport. How tired you will be of all the doing you have had to do for me, but you love me & so, you will forgive me. Commend me to the “Sweet soul & believe me Ever,
Your loving friend,
C.C.
If one goes to Newport by boat, what time does one arrive & how? If I could be persuaded to go by
boat [underlined], I could get there on the 15 [underlined]
Just one single word, Carissima mia, to say how much I thank you for the sweet little book which came to me last night, upon which I passed out of the old year, into the new, reading to Miss Stebbins & Mrs. Garland. We had made up our minds as we were home all alone & likely to be quite interrupted that we should wait up to see the last of the old year; - as if to comfort & help us, by the Evening post came this dear little booklet, which has delighted us all. It strikes me dear as being in sweet harmony all through – subjects, [endearing?] tone, feeling, & material [underlined] all are delicate, sweet, unexaggerated womanly, pure & strong. The getting up of the book too is very very pretty, the little letters beginning the poems, the tone & consistency of the paper, the binding & the nice cleanly paper outside the binding, all [underlined] is as though it came from a gentlewoman’s hands, & so it has, & I admire it as much as you would wish I should do. I like especially the opening poem, “[Spinning”?] and [?] but why should I particularize? I like especially all – they read much more smoothly in this form & I am very glad you were persuaded to publish them & you were so right to keep to your “HH,” wh [sic] is what you are [underlined] to the public [underlined], & they have no right to any more. Whey is the mob to come to your holy of holies when the loud ones only have a right to ask to come. No dear, “Jamie,” is a [canny?] boy, but you were right and this booklet will go far & wide & make you much known. I am going to send some of them over the water to “those who know.” How lovely is “March” & “Down to Sleep” & “Return to the Hills,” “Message” “Wooed” “Iron” “Best Transplanted” “At Last” “My [?]” – all of these which I knew before, I know better now, & love them more, & the whole 78 are beautiful, & the Dedication lovely but I love my [underlined] little Welcome” dearly. I am afraid to show it to any body for the same reason that I was ashamed to give to any one the very beautiful photograph which [Mme?] Le Jeune made of me in Naples. I am afraid they will think I believe I have any right to be so shown or so estimated. Will you tell me who is A.C.L.B,? and will you tell me how you have published – are these your [underlined] books to dispose of, and is it any thing to you, where they are bought or have you any preference where they shall be ordered from, tell me. Dear, it is most likely Mrs. Garland Miss Stebbins’ sister will come with me to Newport. She is a sweet person with the old old “history,” a timid shy, proud person, you will like her, & it is for [underlined] her I wanted the extra room, which you will write me about. She has a sweet poetic mind & she knows your poems very very well. I am so troubled for you, dearie, that you are so ailing, & that you are not comfortable, for how can you be so in one room? I hope your own apartment will be ready sooner than you think. Tell me dear about the best way of going from New York to Newport. How tired you will be of all the doing you have had to do for me, but you love me & so, you will forgive me. Commend me to the “Sweet soul & believe me Ever,
Your loving friend,
C.C.
If one goes to Newport by boat, what time does one arrive & how? If I could be persuaded to go by
boat [underlined], I could get there on the 15 [underlined]
From
Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876
To
Jackson, Helen Hunt, 1830-1885
Location
Villa Garland Hyde Park
Dutchess County, NY, US
Dutchess County, NY, US
Geocode (Latitude)
41.7847232
Geocode (Longitude)
-73.9332461
Provenance
Helen Hunt Jackson Papers, Part 2, Ms 0156, Box 1, Folder 17, letters from Charlotte Cushman to HH, 1871-75. Transcribed by Nancy Knipe, 2007, https://libraryweb.coloradocollege.edu/library/specialcollections/Manuscript/HHJ2-1-17.html. Accessed 30 March, 2020.
Social Bookmarking
Geolocation
Collection
Citation
Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876, “Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Helen Hunt, Jan 1, 1871,” Archival Gossip Collection, accessed April 18, 2024, https://archivalgossip.com/collection/items/show/252.