this woman talk, what elaborate trash does she write.
What a thorough sham and counterfeit is she, in thoughts,
in words, in actions. And what egotism, deep rooted flimsy
ness of egotism constitutes her whole nature. All her writings
are but Jo Paens to Rebecca Kidder. She read of her
griefs, of her trials; how she pined for loftier ambitions, for
appreciation, how hard was her fate, being brought into contact
with sordid, common-place natures; (each of which be it said
has more of truth in it, than has marked [words crossed out], her
whole existence.) George Brown , so said her Diary, which
she read aloud to us (!) had forfieted all title to her friend-
ship. He had married her sister, that was his offence. In
the book were complaints and repinings at everybody, open self-
praise, or that revelling in self accusation, darling pride that
apes humility loves to wallow in. She Byronized, she sen-
timentalized, she prosed, her whole world of images and ideas,
not once presenting the hint of originality. Womans mission &c.
And such counterfeit of feeling, Of Love, of Friendship, of
Religion, of Doubt (?) of repining at not being this, that, &
Heaven knows what Got so impatient that I criticized
it as bosh downright, wherefore, albeit she ll not say so, she ll
hate me evermore. I know she couldn t forgive that.
18. Saturday. Drawing awhile, on wood, and scribbling,
then down town. To Traveler Office, Strongs &c. To the Re-
veille Office, where I saw Barton, and got a weight of wood-
| Page |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Three: page ten |
| Description: | Comments on his distaste for Mrs. Kidder's writing. |
| Date: | 1851-10-17 |
| Subject: | Barton; Brown, George; Brown, George, Mrs. (Bartholomew, Winchester); Gunn, Thomas Butler; Kidder, Rebecca (Morse); Strong, Thomas; Women; Writing |
| Coverage (City/State): | [New York, New York] |
| Scan Date: | 2011-02-07 |
| Volume |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Three |
| Description: | Includes descriptions of looking for drawing and writing work among New York publishers, visits to Mrs. Kidder and her daughter Lotty, boarding house living, theater acquaintances, and Lajos Kossuth's visit to New York. |
| Subject: | Actors; Boardinghouses; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Publishers and publishing; 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. |
