Eyre, Ellen

On March 25, 1862, Walt Whitman received a letter addressed to him at Pfaff’s and signed by "Ellen Eyre." The signature "Ellen Eyre" has long been thought to be the assumed name of an unknown female writer. The note reads as a love letter to the poet from a woman who knows him quite well. Some historians have taken the letter to be evidence of a romantic tryst between Whitman and one of several candidates from the Bohemian circle and New York theatrical communities. Yet others have claimed that the letter is written to Whitman in a code of sorts. What seems, at first glance, to be flirtatious may have been simply an invitation to Whitman to visit the writer at her home. The most commonly suggested identities for the writer of this letter are: Ada Clare, Lola Montez, Mrs. Parton, Mrs. Beach, Adah Isaacs Menken, the unidentified woman who inspired a Whitman poem published in October 1861, and Ellen Grey. Of these names, several women have been ruled out on the basis of historical records and geographical proximity to Whitman at the time of the letter’s composition and delivery (such as Montez who was already deceased when Whitman received the letter).

C. Carroll Hollis presents a compelling argument that identifies Ellen Grey as the writer, citing that she may have known Whitman when they were both living in Brooklyn. He notes that her picture was found displayed among Whitman’s belongings at his home in Camden at the time of his death (24-26).

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References & Biographical Resources

Allen, Gay Wilson. The Solitary Singer: A Critical Biography of Walt Whitman. New York: MacMillan, 1955. [more about this work]: Allen writes that in the spring of 1862, "when Whitman was roaming the Bowery and writing 'feature' articles for the Leader" he may have had an affair with a woman who is identified only as "Ellen Eyre." This name comes from the signature of an apparent love letter Whitman received at Pfaff's on Tuesday, March 25, 1862. Traubel showed this letter to several friends after Whitman's death and copies were made from the original. Allen reprints a version of the letter (whose authenticity he cannot confirm) on p.279. Allen also mentions that whatever did occur between Whitman and this woman had ended by the middle of the summer of 1862. Allen also notes that Whitman's notebooks mention that he confided the affair to a stage driver named Frank Sweeney on July 8, 1862. Allen mentions that what Whitman means when he says he told Sweeney the "whole story" is ambiguous, but mentions that the term "whole story" "implies soemthing that happened in the past, and a history that Walt Whitman himself regarded as in some way remarkable. If he ever told it to anyone besides Frank Sweeney, that person evidently talk as little as Frank did" (278-280).

Allen maintains that the author of the letter is unidentified, and cites others who claimed to have seen copies of the letter. J.H. Johnston mentions having seen a photograph of an actress who was "one of Walt's sweethearts." Allen maintains, however, that there is no evidence that makes it clear that "Ellen Eyre" was an actress, but there is no evidence that she was not (571 n.60). [pages: 278-280, 571(n60).]
Eyre, Ellen. Letter to Walt Whitman. 1862. [more about this work]
Glicksberg, Charles I. "Walt Whitman in 1862." American Literature. 1934. 264-282. [more about this work]: Glicksberg mentions her as the subject of a conversation. [pages: 276]
Hollis, C. Carroll. "Whitman's 'Ellen Eyre'." Walt Whitman Newsletter. 2(1956): 24-26. [more about this work]
Holloway, Emory. Free and Lonesome Heart: The Secret of Walt Whitman. New York: Vantage Press, 1960. [more about this work]: Holloway reprints her letter and speculates about the identity of the author. Holloway rules out Ada Clare, Lola Montez, Mrs. Parton, Mrs. Beach, Adah Isaacs Menken, and the woman who inspired a poem published October 1861 as candidates for "Ellen Eyre." Holloway feels that "Ellen Eyre" must be a psuedonym because a real name would have been lost. [pages: 113-115]
Holloway, Emory. "Whitman Pursued." American Literature. 1955. 1-11. [more about this work]: The name given by author of mysterious letter Whitman received at Pfaff's. [pages: 6-11]
Loving, Jerome. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself. Berkley Calif. : University of California Press, 1999. 568 p. [more about this work]: [pages: 259-261,351]
Miller, Edwin Haviland. "Walt Whitman and Ellen Eyre." American Literature. 1961. 64-68. [more about this work]: The pen name of a woman who wrote Whitman a love letter that was delivered to Pfaff's on Tuesday, March 25, 1862. [pages: 64-66]
Morris, Roy Jr. The Better Angel: Walt Whitman in the Civil War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. [more about this work]: [pages: 35-36]
Naumberg, Edward Jr. "A Collector Looks at Whitman." Princeton University Library Chronicle. 3.1 (1941): 1-18. [more about this work]
Reynolds, David S. Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography. New York: Knopf, 1995. 671 p. [more about this work]: Reynolds interprets a letter sent to Whitman signed with this name to suggest that the sender and Whitman had been intimate the previous night (490). [pages: 490]