slcfarmington avenue, hartford.
Apl. 13, 1877.
My Dear Miss Holmes:
It gives me great pleasure to comply with your request. You will perceive that after seven years’ devotion to Art I have improved considerably in figure drawing. I regard figure-drawing as my specialty, although some think I am as good at landscapes & still life., these persons even carrying compliment so far as to say they cannot tell my landscapes from my still life, nor either of them from ‸my‸ marine views.
In this portrait the President is not saying “Now I lay me down to sleep.” ⟦See note under picture for explanation of the [situation.”]⟧1
Ys Truly
S. L. Clemens
Mark Twain
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Source text(s):Previous publication:
Sotheby’s catalog, sale of 23 October 1987, lot 8, with omissions; MicroPUL, reel 1.
Provenance:
The MS was sold by Sotheby’s, New York, in October 1987, to John Feldman; it was later purchased by CLjC.
Emendations and textual notes:
situation.” • [sic; superfluous close quotation marks]
