Home Page1

Reference URL

Add tags

Comment

Rate

To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or document

To embed the entire object, paste this HTML in website

To link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or document

To embed this page, paste this HTML in website

William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, November 6, 1856

Page1

1 of 4

View Description

View Image & Text

Download

small (250x250 max)

medium (500x500 max)

large ( > 500x500)

Full Resolution

This page

All

Subset

Image
Text

Text Search...

Loading content ...

you wish to report:

Your comment:

Your Name:

Submit

Cancel

...

Rating
Title	William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, November 6, 1856
Creator	Story, William Wetmore, 1819-1895
Date Original	1856-11-06
Description	Concerning his explanation for not seeing Hunt during his visit to England and his thanks for Hunt's kind words about his poems; S. Adams Lee asks in a letter to Story if Hunt has any objections to his getting Bishop Botter to write a preface for the selection of sonnets, and makes inquiry about Hunt's photograph. Hunt welcomed to see Story's Beethoven at Mrs. Sturgis's.
Personal Name Subject	Hunt, Leigh, 1784-1859 Story, William Wetmore, 1819-1895 Lee, S. Adams (Samuel Adams)
Geographic Subject	England -- Surrey
Chronological Subject	1850-1860
Type (DCMIType)	Text
Type (AAT)	Correspondence
Type (IMT)	jpeg
Digital Collection	Leigh Hunt Letters
Contributing Institution	University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Dept.
Archival Collection	Brewer-Leigh Hunt Collection
Collection Guide	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/resources/Brewer-LeighHunt.html
Location	bound MsL S88h leaf 9 (previous call number MsL S88h no. 2)
Rights Management	Educational use only, no other permissions given. This letter is owned by The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department, and is provided here for educational purposes. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the Special Collections Department.
Contact Information	Contact The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department: lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Height (cm)	20.3
Width (cm)	12.5
Number of Pages	4
Number of Sheets of Paper	1
Digitization Specifications	Scanned with Zeutschel OS 12000 scanner at 600 ppi, 24-bit color. Archival tiff image available.
Date Digital	2009-02-11
Transcript	Oatlands Park Walton on Thames Nov. 6 - 1856 My dear Leigh Hunt I have been hoping to find a day which I could dedicate to a visit to you, ever since I came to Walton, but as I embarked upon the labor of making a bust and statuette I have been unable to get on to the shore of leisure for sufficient time to make it possible to go to you. Besides this, my wife was confined shortly after my arrival here & for the only few weeks when I might have gone, I could not leave her. These statements I do not offer by way of excuse, well knowing that you must be sure that I wished very much to see you - but by way of explanation - At last I [page break] find myself on the eve of my departure from England, & unwilling enough I am forced to resign all hope of seeing you this time - My landlord appeared this morning by his agent announcing that my lease was up; and we are now up to our knees in trunks, cramming them as the Strasburgers do their geese. Today I can only scribble notes & give directions & advice to my wife, who like women in general have twice our faculty of administration in detail, & who is putting away our goods & chattels into their smallest spaces. Many thanks for your kind words about my Poems - words which I shall specially value - You think that I have fallen into some of what you call 'yr mistakes' in singing what ought only to be said. Well, if I have only fallen into one great mistake of yours I am satisfied & that mistake is in being a poet - at least the world seems to think poetry & Poets are [page break] mistakes. Seriously, I am so sick of the stilted Laura Matildas of the present day, & the spasmodic efforts to be unnatural in the hope of being poetical, that I have perhaps held too far back, /for/ in my love of simplicity. But nothing which is not simple can last. /&/ I am not at all sure that your judgment on your own poems is quite just. If there is passion enough at the heart of /the/ a poem it cannot be too simple in my view - & I am afraid we should object to the omission of poems & passages in yr writings which you /would/ might strike out. But I am delighted that you do me the favor to be critical - Pray instruct me more. I assure you that all you will say I shall be most thankful for. I hope some day or other to be a poet, daring as the aspiration is - I received a letter from Mr. Lee the other day, which has passages for you & I therefore copy them. He /says/ fears that you may not possess a full set of your poetical works as you have not sent them to him, in which [page break] case he says "I will order Mr. Fields to send me a set. And will you remember (he continues) to ask him, if he has any objection to my getting Bishop Potter to write a preface for the selection of Sonnets; and further will you make some inquiries about the photographic likeness which Mr. Hunt has more than once promised to send me. He once asked me to send him my likeness & I had one ready and intended asking you to take it for him, but you sailed sooner than I expected. If Mr. Hunt still wishes it how shall I forward it? I have a book too for Mrs. Hunt" - So much for Mr Lee - I also must put in my little claim for the photograph when it is made. But I forget that I have not told you of the new inmate of our family - My wife gave me two months ago a fine healthy boy who has been getting the wrinkles & the redness out of his face ever since, & is now as presentable a baby as one could wish. His excellencies are those most to be desired in a [continued on page 1 from page 4] baby, strength & health. We have already become accustomed to him & he already seems a necessary part of the Family . You have many times asked me about my Beethoven which is at Mrs. Sturgis's. She begs me to say to you, that she shall be delighted to see you at any time & to show it to you. & that if she is not at home you are to go in freely & look at it as long as you will. Her house is No.5 Upper Portland Place. Do not have any hesitation in going there - She will be only too glad to see you. Whenever you write to me pray address the letter to the care of Baring Brothers & Co. & I hope that you will some [continued on page 2 from top of page 1] times write me at least a little note. Is there anything in Rome that you would like that I can get for you, except the Colosseo - [continued on page 3 from page 2] My wife begs to be most warmly remembered to you & Mrs. Hunt. Pray make my regards also & believe me Ever affectionately yrs W.W. Story
Transcript By	Brewer, Luther
Transcript Location	University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Dept.

Title	Page1
Relation - Is Part Of	William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, Nov. 6, 1856
Digital Collection	Leigh Hunt Letters
File Name	s88h-9_Page1.jpg
Transcript	Oatlands Park Walton on Thames Nov. 6 – 1856 My dear Leigh Hunt [continued on page 1 from page 4] baby, strength & health. We have already become accustomed to him & he already seems a necessary part of the Family. You have many times asked me about my Beetho¬ven which is at Mrs. Sturgis's. She begs me to say to you, that she shall be delighted to see you at any time & to show it to you. & that if she is not at home you are to go in freely & look at it as long as you will. Her house is No.5 Upper Portland Place. Do not have any hesitation in going there - She will be only too glad to see you. Whenever you write to me pray address the let¬ter to the care of Baring Brothers & Co. & I hope that you will some [continued on page 2 from top of page 1] I have been hoping to find a day which I could dedicate to a visit to you, ever since I came to Walton, but as I embarked upon the labor of making a bust and statuette I have been unable to get on to the shore of leisure for sufficient time to make it possible to go to you. Besides this, my wife was confined shortly after my arrival here & for the only few weeks when I might have gone, I could not leave her. These statements I do not offer by way of excuse, well knowing that you must be sure that I wished very much to see you - but by way of explanation - At last I

Find results with:

Searching collections:

Home Page1

William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, November 6, 1856

Object Description

Description

Tags

Comments

William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, November 6,...

William Wetmore Story letter to Leigh Hunt, November 6,...

	All
	Pages Enter page numbers or page ranges separated by commas. For example: 1,3,5-12