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Walt Whitman to George W. Childs, 31 January [1879]

About This Item

  • Title: Walt Whitman to George W. Childs, 31 January [1879]
  • Date: January 31, 1879
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: hsp.00001
  • Source: Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.

    Notes for this letter were created by Whitman Archive staff and/or were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented or updated by Whitman Archive staff.
  • Contributors to digital file: Alicia Bones Grace Thomas Anthony Dreesen Kevin McMullen Nicole Gray
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to George W. Childs, 31 January [1879]." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 15 January 2026. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: hsp.00001.xml (TEI)
 hsp.00001.001_large.jpg 431 Stevens Street Camden Friday noon Jan 31 Dear Mr Childs1

If nothing imperative prevents, I shall do myself the pleasure of accepting your invitation for to-morrow night—'Twould be a kindness to me if you would have one of your young men (Mr Johan2 perhaps) come down & meet me at the foot of Market Street (Camden Federal Street Ferry reception room—Philadelphia side) at ¼ to 8, and convoy me up to your house—

Walt Whitman  hsp.00001.002_large.jpg

Notes

  • 1. See the letter from Whitman to George W. Childs of December 12, 1878. Whitman attended a reception at Childs's on the following day. On April 9, 1878, D. W. Belisle, with the encouragement of Childs, had approached Whitman about an edition of Leaves of Grass, "leaving out the objectionable passages...(decided at once to decline on any such condition)" (Whitman's Commonplace Book, Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). [back]
  • 2. John A. Johann, of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, whose calling card appears in Whitman's Commonplace Book. [back]
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