Griswold & Robins

Below I have transcribed two letters addressed to Sarah Helen Whitman. The first is a follow-up letter written by Rufus Griswold regarding Whitman in his second edition of Female Poets of America. The second is a fragment from a letter sent by Sarah Elizabeth Robins, requesting a lock of Whitman's hair to have mingled with Poe's and enclosed in a locket. Philadelphia, July 26, 1855 Dear Madam- Returning to the city, after a temporary absence, I received your letter respecting a portrait, &c., of which I take this immediate notice. The portrait by Giovani Thompson has, I believe, the head finished: no more is necessary. If you will cause it to be forwarded to "Parry + Mc Millan, Publishers, Philadelphia," at their expense, by any of the express companies running from Prov- idence, I shall be much obliged. It will be beautifully engraved- and the drapery, &c. "filled in," by a tasteful artist. Should you consent to my wishes in the matter, it will be necessary that sufficient time may be spent on the plate, that no time should be lost in sending the painting. Your suggestion in regard to the poems will be complied with by filling the places of those referred to with new extracts from your volume. Very respectfully, your obedient Rufus W. Griswold. To Mrs. S. H. Whitman, &c. &c. In class on Tuesday I found it oddly inconsistent to my impression of S.H. Whitman to consent so excitedly to Griswold's portrait-request for his book. I thought perhaps this was a play to pacify Whitman and her fact-checking conquest against his publications of Poe. I feared this might make her seem "silly" or less aggressive, strong-willed, or domineering. However, the letter above is yet another testament to Whitman's determination. We can easily gather that Whitman did not send the portrait at Griswold's first request (the letter preceding this, not transcribed here), but replied with certain conditions. We might conjecture that Griswold's scare quotes around "filled in" regarding the drapery is in reference to a request made Whitman. The final paragraph necessitates no conjecture, as Griswold writes "Your suggestion in regard to the poems will be complied with by filling the places of those referred to with new extracts from your volume," signaling to us that Whitman made multiple suggestions (the poemS, the placeS, the new extractS). Surely, Whitman is an outspoken master of presentation, both of her own reputation and those of whom she loves. (As a side note-- the Lilly has a copy of Griswold's first edition of Female Poets of American. In it he has misspelled Whitman's name-- Sarah Helena Whitman. The mini-biographical sketches that precede each woman's poetry is more of a patrilineal "genealogy" of their talents than a written-portrait of each poetess's life.) Letter Fragment Sarah Elizabeth Robins to Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman months before all the materials are di- gested and combined. When you are able again to write me, please mention whether the Gentleman of Missouri whom you told me had undertaken Poe's defence, has yet published anything. Mr. Davidson, from whom I have twice heard respecting Poe, has told me of the life of Baudelaire, and I have arranged to procure a copy of it- also of the auto- biographical sketch of Poe himself. [Verso Sheet 1] ly beautiful hair-in which, eloquent of the struggle his thirty eight years, there gleams one silver dread! I intend to have it enclosed in a ^rich locket- the gift of my father, who died in my ninth year. I am now going to dare pray that you will send me a lock of yours to enclose with it. I have never worn memento of this kind before. If you accord this I shall esteem it a favor altogether priceless. Putnam January 28, 1861* I am, with in expressible solitude and love Your friend, Sarah Elizabeth Robins. *Different handwriting, different pen I wanted only to include this transcription for it's strangeness (to us, 21st c.persons who are more often disturbed by dead hair) Regardless, this letter as Professor Irmscher has stated in his introduction the Mss., was written by a mad super-fan of Poe, a Miss Sarah Elizabeth Robins, who was composing her own biography of the late poet. This letter and the others in their correspondence (which also included Mrs. Clemm), testifies to how indelibly linked Sarah Helen Whitman quickly became to Poe's legacy. (That is, if Poe's superfan dreamed it necessary that a lock of the living Whitman's hair be mingled with that lock of "beautiful hair- in which... there gleams one silver dread!")