Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe — April 14, 1846
Mary Elizabeth Hewitt asks about Poe’s health, mentions Frances Osgood and sends a poem. The manuscript salutation identifies Poe as recipient despite the source catalogue’s Osgood heading.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
Original publication
Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe — April 14, 1846
Date
1846-04-14
Credits
Mary Elizabeth Hewitt; Boston Public Library
Published in
New York
Where to find it
2 written and 2 blank manuscript faces
Reference collection
Boston Public Library, Rare Books Department, Rufus W. Griswold Papers
Collection reference
Box 15, Ms. Gris. 986; barcode 39999085429155
Date, author, recipient, source identity, full available text, original hashes and existing holdings checked. Historical edition variants and catalogue inconsistencies disclosed.
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All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
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Reading transcription · Review label: Known limitations
Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe — April 14, 1846
All four repository views are preserved: two written faces followed by two blank faces. The first begins “Dear Mr Poe”; the second is signed M. E. Hewitt and dated April 14th/46 at the Athenaeum Hotel, New York. Digital Commonwealth’s cataloguer-supplied title and addressee identify Frances Osgood, but the actual salutation, references to Mrs Osgood as a third person, and the scholarly correspondence entry RCL-618 identify Poe. The original catalogue title is retained in the source citation so the discrepancy is visible. The scholarly transcription heading also mentions April 15; the manuscript reads April 14. The enclosed poem is not present in these four views and is not included. The local reading was checked against the two written faces; line breaks and typographic emphasis are simplified. Original spelling “femenine” is retained. The manuscript images remain authoritative for punctuation and layout.
Dear Mr. Poe,
With the most friendly desire to convey to you my sympathy, and to learn the present state of your health, yet ignorant where to address you, I venture to trust my little bark to the guidance of that great Ganges, the Post Office, hoping that by some favorable chance, wind and tide may favor its direction.
We were all exceedingly sorry to hear of your illness in Baltimore, and glad when we heard that you had so far recovered as to be able to return to our latitude, though it were to play hide-and-seek with your friends. Our charming friend Mrs Osgood, and myself, indulge often in talking of you and your dear wife. Next to seeing those we remember, is the luxury of talking of them — and you know the power of the femenine organ at laudation, as well as its opposite.
All Bluedom misses you from its charmed circle, and we often ask when are we to have Mr Poe back again among us.
Will you not favor me with a reply, should this reach you? And do me the favor to read and find fault with my last poem, which I enclose for your perusal. It has caused some question with regard to my sanity. Strange that we must always be charged with the expression of our true feelings in our writings. I assure you some of the married men have decided that it was an exceedingly improper production! Ah! the world that binds us, Ixion like, to its own dull round, may never chain the poet’s thought to its earthly level.
Let us hear that you are well again, and with kindest regards to Mrs Poe believe me
Very sincerely yours M. E. Hewitt
Athenaeum Hotel. New York April 14th/46
“Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe — April 14, 1846.” 1846-04-14. Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe — April 14, 1846. Crypt of Echoes evidence ID LED-2026-de7a78baf8f54cf5950fe7301fd5b167. https://cryptofechoes.com/evidence/LED-2026-de7a78baf8f54cf5950fe7301fd5b167. Accessed [date].
Catalogue citation: Mary Elizabeth Hewitt to Edgar Allan Poe, April 14, 1846. RCL-618. Boston Public Library, Ms. Gris. 986. Digital Commonwealth identifier commonwealth:6h445016z; source catalogue title: “Mary Elizabeth (Moore) Hewitt Stebbins, Athenaeum Hotel (NY), autograph letter signed to Mrs. Frances Sargent (Locke) Osgood, 14 April 1846.”
Boston Public Library and Digital Commonwealth mark this item “No known copyright restrictions” and “No known restrictions on use.” Credit: Boston Public Library, Rare Books Department, Rufus W. Griswold Papers, Ms. Gris. 986. Repository images are retained unchanged.
