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Lot 116

WHITMAN, WALT. 1819-1892.
Autograph Letter Signed ("Walt Whitman") to John Swinton, requesting copies of an article on Swinburne's William Blake, in which Whitman is compared to Blake,

11 December 2020, 10:00 EST
New York

US$4,000 - US$6,000

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WHITMAN, WALT. 1819-1892.

Autograph Letter Signed ("Walt Whitman") to John Swinton, requesting copies of an article on Swinburne's William Blake, in which Whitman is compared to Blake, 1 p, 205 x 128 mm, Attorney General's Office stationery, Washington, DC, March 31, 1868, old folds, discretely repaired to the verso.

WHITMAN AND BLAKE. Whitman here writes to John Swinton, requesting copies of an article on Swinburne's recent William Blake: A Critical Essay, published by Hotten in 1868. Swinburne had closed the collection with an extended comparison of the two poets, waxing lyrical on their merits, "The points of contact and sides of likeness between William Blake and Walt Whitman are so many and so grave...," and noting that while Blake may often be more profound, Whitman's "work is generally more frank and fresh, smelling of sweeter air, and readier to expound or expose its message...." Whitman clearly finds this no faint praise, and ultimately he would even design his tomb after Blake's engraving "Death's Door." Whitman letters of consequence are rare, and moreso on the Attorney General letterhead.

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