File:Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Thomas Gold Appleton, June 14 1845 (21b204ea-a62c-4b1c-af3c-e3ce2d997442).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-015#010

Cambridge. June 14th 1845.
Dearest Tom,
The last steamer enriched us with your letters from Athens & Constantinople. It rejoiced us to know you had entered those realms of enchantment, & were making all the dreams of studious youth realities. How I wish I could have been with you upon the Acropolis, and at the first revelation of Istanbul. I gaze at Mrs Bracebridge’s faithful panorama, & lament, both for your sake & our own, the destruction of ours. It was burned about a week ago. The College never treated so valuable a gift with proper respect; after keeping it rolled up until it was much injured, they built a mere wooden shell for it, placed it in a very dangerous neighborhood of carpenters shops &c, so that all went like tinder, tho’ the students made every effort to save the painting.
Mr Sam Eliot is such a desperate utilitarian & economist that we shall never have[crossed out: ing] any-thing tasteful or respectable about the College while [p. 2] he is manager. The Wiggins, Russell Sturgis and Hodgkinson came out in the Canbria. The latter, only, I have seen. He is here for a few weeks, & seems quite enraptured with the beauty of our trees, which is very surprising for an Englishman. He is at Uncle Sam’s – Mr Wiggin begins already to fret & fume about things I hear – he cannot possibly be contented here (or anywhere) long. Poor Judkins was taken very ill on board ship, & has been in great danger – I know not if he is yet out of it – but earnestly trust he will weather this severe storm.
Last Monday was Charlie’s birthday, & he had a dozen very juvenile friends to celebrate it with him – The hay-cocks & swing were chief amusements, except drawing tickets for sugar plums in the old apple tree, and it was a pretty sight when they were seated at supper Charley presiding, & occasionally indulging in not very civil onslaughts upon his guests plates – They all behaved uncommonly well. All the Cambridge children were the fattest, a good proof of the excellence of our air. Mrs Bents boys were among the prettiest the youngest has her blue eyes & fair hair. Emmeline passed [p. 3] a night with us this week, while Henry took his sister Annie, who has made me a delightful visit of three weeks, back to Portland. She is on the eve of moving to the Hammends house which will agreeably renew old associations. We were yesterday at the Guilds, & looked across a deep ravine to his Sam’s plantation of trees. In fifty years it will be a fine place, but where will he be then? Perhaps he will be induced to marry not to waste his labors upon strangers.
Harriet is impatient to get to Pittsfield the weather having been very warm lately – but Papa wont stir before July for the sake of some dividend. I know not where we shall pass the vacation. Henry is eager to try the Wasserkur at Brattleboro’ for his eyes, but I suppose we shall be in Berkshire for part of it. Crawford is taking the President’s bust, at the student’s request, & dines with us nearly every day. He has given us a graceful sketch in terra cotta of a huntress. We are reading Goethe’s essays on Art translated by Boston Sam Ward. Admirable are his critiques. The fair Anne Coolidge goes to Dresden by this steamer with her brother Joe. We met him last night at the Dixwells for a few minutes. He was stiff & English in looks & manners. Mrs. D. has another little girl. I am wondering whether you will have courage in so warm weather to explore the East further – but hope you will accomplish all you comfortably can.
[p. 4 bottom] Henry’s book is out looking very substantial. The publisher has seen fit to add to it a mezzotint of Schiller & a Yankee doodle title page dotted with a necklace of little pictures – not gems by any means.
The Athenaeum exhibition is open – the most atrocious one I ever beheld – The Artist’s association, not being able to stand alone, has obtained admittance there, & expelled [p. 4 top] the standard pictures to make room for their dread[ful] daubs – A full length of Clay, writhing like a worm in black headcloth, & pointing to the national flag blown out by no possible breeze is the climax of vile taste. An Albano peasant girl by your friend Ferny is the prettiest thing there. I have not seen the statues, but the papers mention with praise a bust of a roman girl by Brison which is, I suppose the same head you purchased. This paper is too bad to be written upon – good bye darling [p. 1 cross] with our warmest wishes for your continued enjoyment of the beautiful –
ever thy loving
Fannikin.
ADDRESSED: T. G. APPLETON ESQ. / [CROSSED OUT: CARE OF BARING BROTHERS & CO / LONDON] / MESSRS. GREENE & C. / PARIS.-
POSTMARK: [ILLEGIBLE] 30 JULY [ILLEGIBLE] / BOLOGNE

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