Letter from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, April 18, 1879

01

Artifact Overview

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was the most beloved American poet of the 19th century. His poems appealed to mid-19th-century Americans from all classes, and he made every effort to make his works available. One admirer had written to ask him about the tree mentioned in his poem "The Village Blacksmith." Longfellow replied that the tree was a horse chestnut.

TRANSCRIPTION

Cambridge, April 18
1879

Dear Sir,
I am sorry to dispel an
innocent's illusion, but truth
forces me to say, that the
tree, which over-shadowed
the village smithy, and
of whose wood the birth-
day chair is made, was
a horse-chestnut.

Your very sincerely
Henry W. Longfellow

Artifact Details

Artifact

Letter (Correspondence)

Date Made

18 April 1879

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

26.85.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Handwriting

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7 in (unfolded)
Width: 9 in (unfolded)