Handwritten manuscripts, fragments, notes, proofs, galleys, clippings, monographs, correspondence, drawings, photographs, and memorabilia document the life and work of Walt Whitman and include information about Whitman created and collected by several of his early admirers and devotees. The collection is organized into four series: I. Works, 1846-1913, nd (2 boxes), II. Correspondence, 1863-1892, nd (1 box), III. Works and Correspondence by Others, 1863-1956, nd (3 boxes), and IV. Images and Checks, 1875-1887, nd (1 folder)
The earliest dated material consists of tearsheets of "The Tomb-Blossoms," published in 1846 in The United States Magazine and Democratic. The bulk of the materials dated after Whitman's death in 1892 originated with Whitman's friend and biographer, Horace Traubel; Whitman Society President Gustave Percival Wiksell; Whitman scholars Richard M. Bucke and Milton Hindus; and the poet William Douglas O'Connor. In addition to Whitman's original manuscripts, a draft fragment in the hand of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "VIII | O subtle, various world�," is bound with correspondence between Whitman and Tennyson and manuscript material for Leaves of Grass "Sands at Seventy: To Get the Final Lilt of Songs."
Many of the manuscripts and letters are in fragile condition and access to individual items may be limited while they undergo conservation treatment. All Whitman items are handwritten unless otherwise indicated. Additional Whitman material is located in the Ransom Center's vertical files, art collection, photography collection, and personal effects.
Acquisition Information:
Much of the collection was acquired in the mid-1950s as part of the T. E. Hanley Library and supplemented by the 1959 purchase of the John G. Moore Collection and later acquisitions of individual items. Also included are numerous page proofs acquired with the Charles E. Feinberg Collection. Bound monographs by Whitman have been cataloged separately and can be accessed through the University of Texas at Austin Library's online catalog. The bulk of the manuscript material was previously accessible through a card catalog.
Other materials in the series include one-page printed proofs of individual poems, clippings of published articles, and galley proofs. Of note is an 1876 edition Leaves of Grass in paper wrappers with numerous handwritten additions and corrections by Whitman. Other major works represented include Democratic Vistas, "O Captain My Captain," Specimen Days & Collect, and Two Rivulets.
Some works have correspondence or other works glued or written on the verso. Cross references are provided in the folder list. Two headings: "Works I" and "Miscellaneous I," list individual works bound or grouped together previous to their acquisition by the Ransom Center. These works have been kept together physically, but the titles of individual works are listed in the appropriate alphabetical sequence in the folder list. "Miscellaneous I" also contains several items about Whitman, similar to materials found in Series III. Works and Correspondence by Others.
Incoming correspondence includes a civil war era pass issued to Whitman by the US Army, a typed transcription of a letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and letters from Whitman's brother George and sister Hannah. The greatest number of letters come from Whitman's mother and include numerous originals as well as typed transcriptions.
Outgoing and incoming letters between Whitman and Alfred, Lord Tennyson are bound with materials for Whitman's work Leaves of Grass "Sands at Seventy: To Get the Final Lilt of Songs" and "Good-bye My Fancy: Sail out for Good, Eid�lon Yacht" in Series I. Also located in Series I are one outgoing and one incoming letter located with the "Works I" bound materials.
Notable among the Wiksell correspondents are Louis Brandeis, George Washington Carver, Calvin Coolidge, Charles Coughlin, Eugene Debs, Alf Landon, and William Douglas O'Connor. Correspondence to Whitman scholar Milton Hindus includes letters from Dorothy Pound and William Carlos Williams.
In addition to Wiksell and Hindus, other Whitman scholars and admirers represented in the series include Leon Bazalgette, John Burroughs, Richard M. Bucke, John G. Moore, William Douglas O'Connor, and Horace Traubel.
| Walt Whitman Collection Finding Aid | |||
| Title Page | Biographical Sketch |
Scope and Contents |
Folder List |
Reference queries to: reference@hrc.utexas.edu
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