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recognized liking for, or trust in one another. They appear to be all
clever, and are all more or less good looking. Miss Waud, (I had
good scope to study her, this time,) is about the unpleasantest sample
of all. She snubbed her mother, twice or thrice, harping on one string.
I had to quietly stand at arms all the time; in return for divers
feminine impertinations played off withut the smallest provocation, let-
ting her know, in the politest manner in the world, that I didn t care
a damn for her opinion any way. Upon which she behaved a in better
taste. She s prettish, has bright eyes and dark hair, but scarce-
ly dressed in good taste, her many flounces didn t set gracefully behind,
giving her a shortwaisted appearance. Also she wears villanously creaking
shoes, and walks emphatically in them. I noticed this the first time
I visited the house, and supposed that a man was going up or down
stairs. She sings professionally, at a Roman Catholic Church,
and is also a sort of companion to an old couple; and goes out
very much. She s clever, quickwitted, defiant, unamiable and un-
womanly. They call her Ciss, in the family, she seems to manage
her father, and calls him Da! She sang many songs, at
the piano, all brilliantly, but with little feeling, the best, involving
the latter being Longfellows Shadows of Angels. Mr Waud sang also,
in the old style, inflating himself immensely in high notes. Will
sang, as usual. They were hospitable, wine &c in plenty. The
younger daughter, a fair faced girl, in short frock, was giggling all
the time, at my beard. Aunt Nanny asked much about Alf.
They seem to have a pained expectation that he don t want to come
back anymore. His father inquired about him covertly, as though
he expected I shouldn t believe in his professing any interest in his son.
| Page |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Seven: page forty-two |
| Description: | Describes a visit to the Waud family in London. |
| Date: | 1855-03-28 |
| Subject: | Clothing and dress; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Nanny; Waud, Alfred; Waud; Waud, Mary Priscilla; Waud, Julia; Waud, Mrs.; Waud, William; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | [London, England] |
| Scan Date: | 2011-02-02 |
| Volume |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Seven |
| Description: | Includes an account of his family history and descriptions of his visits with family and friends in England, witnessing a procession for Louis Napoleon in London, traveling in Paris with his brothers Charley and Edwin, his friend Harry Price's mental illness, his journey across the Atlantic to New York on the ship Washington, the marriage of Fanny Fern and James Parton, meetings of the Ornithoryncus Club in New York, and Alfred Waud's elopement with Mary Brainard. |
| Subject: | Bohemians; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Marriage; Mental illness; Publishers and publishing; Travel; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | London, England; Paris, France; New York, New York |
| Note: | Thomas Butler Gunn was born February 15, 1826, in Banbury, England, and came to New York in 1849. During the Civil War he worked as a correspondent for the New York Tribune and the New York Evening Post. He returned to England in 1863, and died in Birmingham in April 1903. The collection includes twenty-one volumes of his diaries, including newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, sketches, and various other items inserted by Gunn. Diary entries date from July 7, 1849, to April 7, 1863, and include his experiences with the New York publishing and literary world, his descriptions of boarding houses, his travels throughout the United States, and his experiences traveling with the Federal army as a Civil War correspondent. |
| Publisher: | Missouri History Museum |
| Rights: | Copyright 2011 Missouri History Museum. |
| Source: | Page images, transcriptions, and metadata of the Thomas Butler Gunn diaries have been provided by the Missouri History Museum. |
