!V(-Q WALT WHITMAN
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!v(-q v( THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF WALT WHITMAN AN EXHIBIT FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF MRS. FRANK JULIAN SPRAGUE OF NEW YORK CITY 4 I A LIST OF MANUSCRIPTS, BOOKS, PORTRAITS, PRINTS, BROADSIDES, AND MEMORABILIA LI IN COMMEMORATION OF THE One Hundredand Twentieth Anniversary OF THE BIRTH OF WALT WHITMAN [MAY 31, 1819-19391 FROM THE WHITMAN COLLECTION OF MRS. FRANK JULIAN SPRAGUE OF NEW YORK CITY I EXHIBITED AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 1939'3 FOREWORD ti[THE YEAR 1939 marks the one hundred and twentieth anni- versary of the birth of Walt Whitman. As part of the celebration of that anniversary, the Library of Congress exhibited a collection of material from the magnificent Walt Whitman collection as- sembled over a period of twenty-five years by Mrs. Frank Julian Sprague, of New York City. This material was selected and pre- pared for exhibition by Dr. Joseph Auslander, Consultant in Poetry in the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is unwilling that this exhibit should terminate without some record which may serve as an expression of its gratitude to Mrs. Sprague for her generosity in making the display possible and a witness to its appreciation of Mrs. Sprague's great service to American poetry and to the American tradition of which Walt Whitman is not only the poet but the symbol. Many of the books in Mrs. Sprague's collection are unique, some are in mint condition, none is unopened. The greater part of the collection, including the two paintings which were done from life, has never before been exhibited to the great American public for which Whitman wrote and by which he is remembered. rV Pi PREFACE li- BOOK COLLECTORS usually swing into a definite objective as their )n collections take form. Personally, I have always found a highly 3n specialized collection of greatest interest, also of value in study or ts- research in proportion to its completeness and its richness in an source material and items of intensely personal content. This -e- should be especially true of a Whitman Collection because of the in extreme devotion and loyalty of his friends and followers, who old treasured every detail of information concerning him personally, Lld his life, and his work. on My interest in making this collection followed a period of study he which required the gradual assembling of a Whitman reference 2's library. This meant his writings in various editions, biographies of and books about him in foreign languages as well as English, articles and pictures from magazines and newspapers. Scarcely a ze, day passed without adding some item of interest. Having been irt called a Wh~itmaniac, my family later invented the word clipto- ne maniac to further define my activities. an With the helpful encouragement and cooperation of many of 'd" Whitman's closest friends it has been my good fortune to add to the collection intimate letters, books and manuscripts, in some cases entire collections, which have belonged to biographers and friends of the poet. Many of the books are enriched with auto- graphs, inscriptions, and important marginal notes-each one carrying with it special memories of Whitman's own time. One of the deepest satisfactions a collector can have is to share his treasures with others, especially those who seek first hand information and inspiration, and it has been my privilege to have frequent assurance that this collection has helped in some measure to authenticate and carry on the Whitman message. I am happy to allow my collection to remain on exhibit through the early months of 1940. In offering the present exhibition our National Library has opened up a broadened field by presenting our greatest poet to the public which Whitman loved and greeted in his poem Salut au Monde. HRITSRGE V i 19 20 18 10 9 11 8 12 13 6 14 5 15 4 16 3 1l 2 17 PLAN OF THE EXHIBIT VI THE GILCHRIST COLLECTION: FROM THE GILCHRIST FAMILY: CONSISTING OF BOOKS, LETTERS, AND MISCELLANY Books WHITMAN, WALT-LEAVES of GRASS. Author's Edition, With Portraits and Intercalations. Camden, New Jersey, 1876. Of the Author's Edition, about one hundred copies were issued with the label "Centennial Edition", of which this is one. Intercalations: p. 207, As in a Swoon; p. 247, The Beauty of the Ship; p. 285, title, The Wound-Dresser, pasted over The Dresser; p. 359, When the Full-Grown Poet Came; p. 369, After an Interval. Autographed and inscribed by Whitman to Anne Gilchrist. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-Two RIVULETS, INCLUDING DEMOCRATIC VISTAS, CENTENNIAL SONGS, AND PASSAGE TO INDIA. Author's Edition. Camden, New Jersey, 1876. This book was issued as a companion volume to the 1876 Author's Edition of "Leaves of Grass." This is one of loo copies issued with the label "Centennial Ed'n-1876." Autographed and inscribed by Whitman to Anne Gilchrist. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-SPECIMEN DAYS & COLLECT. Philadelphia, Rees Welsh & Co., 1882-'83. First issue. Tall paper copy inscribed to Anne Gilchrist. [Center GILCHRIST, HERBERT HARLAKENDEN, ed.-ANNE GIL- CHRIST, HER LIFE AND WRITINGS. With a Prefatory Notice by William Michael Rossetti. Second Edition. London, T. Fisher Unwin, 1887. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-LEAVES OF GRASS, WITH SANDS AT SEVENTY & A BACKWARD GLANCE O'ER TRAVEL'D ROADS. Portraits from Life. Autograph. Special Ed'n. [Philadelphia, Ferguson Bros. & Co., c1881]. (Published 1889). Inscribed by Whitman to Herbert Gilchrist. [Center 1 [TRAUBEL, HORACE L., ed.] CAMDEN'S COMPLIMENT TO WALT WHITMAN, May 31, 1889. NOTES, ADDRESSES, LETTERS, TELE- GRAMS. Philadelphia, David McKay, 1889. Inscribed by Whitman to Grace Gilchrist. [Center GOULD, ELIZABETH PORTER-ANNE GILCHRIST AND WALT WHITMAN. Philadelphia, David McKay, [cI900]. Inscribed by John Burroughs to Clara Barrus. With a note by Dr. Barrus. [Center GILCHRIST, ANNE-A WOMAN'S ESTIMATE OF WALT WHIT- MAN. In The Radical, Boston, May, 1870. Original article on Whitman by Anne Gilchrist; Clara Barrus' copy with her signature and notes. [Center FRANK LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER, November 1, 1884. Sent by Whitman to Mrs. Gilchrist. Signed and addressed by Whitman, with numerous items of varied interest marked by him. [Center WYATT, EDITH-WHITMAN AND ANNE GILCHRIST. In The North American Review, September, 1919. [Center Letters WHITMAN, WALT-AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, TO WILLIAM M. ROSSETTI, December 9, 1869. Whitman's first mention of Anne Gilchrist. [Center BURROUGHS, JOHN-THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO MRS. GILCHRIST, November 15, 1875; October 22, 1882; July 13, 1885. An appreciation of her writings about Whitman. [Center GILCHRIST, ANNE-AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, TO HERBERT GILCHRIST. Concerns Whitman's visits, 1877. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-FOUR AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO BEATRICE GILONRIST, I1877-1 878. Casual comments on matters of mutual interest. [Center 2 -' -_ r-'- -- --- 1 b, i enter , TA LT rrus. enter HIT- i her enter 9 A~ lber man, f-0~ ~ enter The % - °n ter ~C~7 ~ t~2 JAM / TO '3, WHITMAN'S LETTER TO HERBERT GILCHRIST :nlter ON LEARNING OF ANNE GILCHRIST'S DEATH nter WHITMAN, WALT-SEVENTEEN AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO HERBERT GILCHRIST, 1877-1888. Includes one written upon receiving news of the death of Mrs. Gilchrist (see facsimile above), and one refusing to allow his letters from Mrs. Gilchrist to nter be published. [Center 3 -- - -- ... J ... -M GILCHRIST, ANNE-THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO WALT WHITMAN, 1881-1882. These are copies kept by Mrs. Gilchrist. All of her letters sent to Whitman were placed by T. B. Harned in the Library of Congress. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-AUTOGRAPH LIST WRITTEN FOR MRS. GILCHRIST. No date. These are the names of the people to whom Whitman suggested she send her "Confession". [Center BURROUGHS, JOHN-FOUR AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO HERBERT GILCHRIST, 1883-1887. Includes a letter written after hearing of Mrs. Gilchrist's death. [Center DOWDEN, EDWARD-THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO ANNE GILCHRIST, 1884. They refer to Mrs. Gilchrist's letters which appear in Dr. Bucke's biography of Walt Whitman. [Center SYMONDS, JOHN ADDINGTON-Two AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, TO HERBERT GILCHRIST, 1885. They refer to a Testimonial Fund for Whitman. [Center WHITMAN, WALT-THIRTY-TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS AND ONE POST CARD SIGNED, TO MRS. ANNE GILCHRIST. These are the original letters. Whitman kept copies of some of them. The copies were all given by T. B. H-arped, one of Whitman's literary executors, together with a large collection of Whitmaniana, to the Library of Congress. The five Whitman letters to Mrs. Gilchrist published in "The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman" were taken from the copies, as the Gilchrist family refused to release the originals in their possession. Included is Whitman's last letter to Mrs. Gilchrist, dated December 15, 1885; Mrs. Gilchrist died November 29, 1885, but Whitman only learned of her death on December 18, 1885. [Center GILCHRIST, HERBERT-AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGN ED, TO W. S. KENNEDY, September 20, 1886. Advises him with reference to obtaining English publishers for his book, remuneration to be expected, etc. [Center GILCHRIST, ANNE-THE LETTERS OF ANNE GILCHRIST AND WALT WHITMAN. Edited With an Introduction by Thomas B. Harned. Garden City, New York, Doubleday, Page & Company, 1918. Clara Barrus' copy, with an inscription to her by Harned. Marginal notes by Dr. Barrus. [Center 4 ro / ant.e. -j d4, .. nd u . } ~( - , C - 4 zee ter TO jie24~ ter '%.L4e1c ter "GOING SOMEWHERE", WHITMAN'S ROUGH DRAFT OF A POEM IN MEMORY OF ANNE GILCHRIST :RS iter Miscellany ND GILCHRIST, HERBERT-MANUSCRIPT NOTEBOOK, 1876-1877. Records conversations with Whitman. Sketch of Whitman on one page. rhe [Center Drs, WHITMAN, WALT-A TICKET TO HIS LECTURE, "DEATH OF >of ABRAHAM LINCOLN", ASSOCIATION HALL, PHILADELPHIA, EVENING the OF APRIL 15TH, 1880.