by appreciation of a pleasurable object. Of the dilemma her rule of rejecting the
latter would reduce an unlucky dog to, when in society with a pretty woman, either
to talk, common place or run the risk of being brained with a lady s fan for
flattery. This sort of talk, she said, was decidedly more ingenious flattery and
gave me credit for it. There we got to men and women, (young) and converse
in general [words crossed out]. I think she likes the common sense
hobby, & prides herself on it, so I didn t spare that mongst other topics. Justified
[words crossed out] her expressed contempt for common place fellows, and told her that
men deserved the treatment of fools as we re all, ready to go down on knees to a girl
on a second interview, and conveyed a downright intimation that sort of thing
was nt at all in my line, & I didn t intend to do t even to her. (This paid off
the flattery! ) Looked, though I spoke not open compliment, and by Juno s
eyelids that was not difficult, for she s a [word crossed out] ^|handsome| creature. I
never saw a finer
nobler form, and when she rose in a deliberate queenly way, and sate ^|down| in the
rocking
chair, her head back and gazing full at your eyes; the deep full flounces of
her dress filling up the wide chair, I should like to have told her how I admired
her. She tells me she has worn the Bloomer for Turkish costume, though
not out of doors. By Jove I d [word crossed out] like to see her in t! [word crossed out]
[line crossed out].
Presently in came Mrs Kidder, Lotty and the masculines, boarder whereat
Mrs K takes her meals. Some battledore & shuttlecock [words crossed out] talk of
originality of which Mrs K professed herself a passionate admirer. The two boarders
didn t say much, and one unfortunate wretch, (Pope was his name) being
asked as to his taciturnity replied, He was pondering on the practicability of saying
something original, and had thought of saying that Miss Brown Looked
Very Beautiful! but as she must be aware of it, it would lack novelty.
Poor devil! never was remark [words crossed out] worse received. She looked
absolutely resentful at first and ere [unclear word] sentimis had been said by others came
| Page |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Two: page one hundred and forty-four |
| Description: | Regarding a conversation with Miss Brown at Mrs. Kidder's residence. |
| Date: | 1851-07-25 |
| Subject: | Brown, Margaret; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Kidder, Charlotte (Whytal, Granville); Kidder, Rebecca (Morse); Pope; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | [New York, New York] |
| Scan Date: | 2011-02-07 |
| Volume |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Two |
| Description: | Includes descriptions of Gunn's attempts to find drawing work among New York publishers, brief employment in an architectural office, visits to his soldier friend William Barth on Governors Island, boarding house living, drawing at actor Edwin Forrest's home at Fonthill Castle, and sailing and walking trips taken with friends. |
| Subject: | Boardinghouses; Books and reading; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Military; Publishers and publishing; Religion; Travel; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | 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. |
