Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Saturday. Went to Mr Rowse at ½ past 12. The picture is about finished. He talked of Carlyle whom he discovered a little before the new Idyl made him known to Americans. Carlyle talked of pictures saying he preferred Banvard’s panorama of the Mississippi to all the paintings he had ever seen....

Sunday Nov. 22. Heard Mr Wasson preach at the Melodeon upon “Communication.” He began with speaking of Plato’s dialogue upon Virtue, whether it can be taught and then proceeded in the most exquisite manner to show the value of influence through words and the worth of character ending with...

Monday Nov. 23. The day exquisite as early spring and yet with the ripe haze and richness of the autumn. J.T.F. overwhelmed with people during the morning among others Longfellow who told him he had been reading Heine the night before and was betrayed into exquisite laughter. Heine says “I...

Friday morning. An intelligent eccentric Mr Dodge bringing letters from W. C. Bryant to us, came to breakfast. He is a bachelor, has lately lost his mother and has fallen desperately in love with Gail Hamilton through her writings. He has obtained an opportunity for going to see her and can...

Saturday. Sat to Mr Rowse for the last time probably. He has been successful in his work.

Dec. 3. Last Tuesday Mr Emerson lectured in town. Mrs E. and Edith came to tea. She was troubled because of necessity a little late. She is a woman of proud integrity and real sweetness. She has an awe of words. They mean so much to her that her lips do not unlock save for truth or kindness or...

Dec. 4. Mr Hawthorne and Mr & Mrs Alden passed the night with us. Mr Hawthorne came to town to attend the funeral of Mrs Franklin Pierce. He seemed ill and more nervous than usual. He brought the first part of a story which he says he never shall finish. J.T.F. says it is very fine yet sad. He...

Sunday Mr Hawthorne returned to us. He had found Gen. Pierce overwhelmed with sadness at the death of his wife and greatly needing his companionship, therefore he accompanied him the whole distance to Concord N.H. He said he could not generally look at such things but he was obliged to look at...

Dec. 9. Heard an extraordinary concert at the Music Hall. 1200 children sang accompanied by the organ. They sang the Russian National hymn. I wondered if the pulsations of sound did not help to sway into purer unison these wide divided nations.

Dec. 10. Visit from H.W. Beecher. He said of Mr Conway (Moncure) that he never knew a man before who could tell an absolute falsehood and be entirely unconsciousness that it was not the truth. He said (he C.) sat down holding his head in his hands after he had that extraordinary communication...

Yesterday afternoon very rainy yet J.T.F. went to pass the afternoon with Longfellow. He found his son able to walk about a little. L. said, “how kind to come in the rain! this is indeed kind.” L. described his arrival at a station south of Washington in search of his son. He found no one...

Tuesday. Dined with Mr and Mrs. Bartols, with Dr Bellows and Dr Hedge. Dr Bellows talked of his experiences during the past year. He said from his personal knowledge of the different angels who have served over men he thought Miss Gilson the most remarkable. He said he was with her in a small...

Tuesday. Gail Hamilton came to pass the night. We heard George Wm Curtis lecture. It was a noble discourse—full of true inspiration for his audience. After our return Miss Dodge sat with me while we talked until near twelve of the Bailey’s of Washington—“Mrs B. had that rare inability to...

Wednesday, paid visit and prepared for Christmas.

Thursday. Miss Sarah Clarke sent me as a gift a copy of her “Cypresses at Tivoli”—They are a never failing pleasure to me.

Sunday December 27. Lucy Larcom passed last Sunday [20 December 1863] here. She talks of going South to teach the Freed-people. Her coming to town about it is at my suggestion. On Monday [21 December 1863] we went to see Miss Hannah Stevenson who examines all applicants. I have not heard the...

Dec. 31st Emerson came in to see J.T.F. yesterday. He said he had a poem concerning his elder brother who was a rare man and whose memory richly deserved some tribute. He did not know if he could finish it but he would like to print that. He is writing an introduction to Sa[a]di.

Friday. Heard wondrous music at the church of the “Immaculate Conception.” Mozart’s 12th mass and much more of inexpressible beauty. The voices seem to be blended as we seldom hear them. All personality lost for Music’s sake.

Saturday. Wondrous weather. The landscape like an opal, radiant yet veiled in shifting mists. Read a new story by Harriet Prescott full of beauty.

Sunday. Snow so we stayed quietly at home. Finished reading Wm. Blake. Pictor Ignotus.

January 5. Interested in a new life of Michael Angelo Buonarotti with exquisite heads of artists written by Herford of Oxford.

Thursday. Mrs Stowe came to dinner also Mr Rowse, Otto Dresel and his wife, Mrs Lehmann & Mrs Loring. We had a delightful afternoon and evening.

Friday. Mrs Stowe is building a true home. I shall try to take a leaf out of her book to make ours still more attractive. Flowers I shall try to have.

Saturday. J.T.F. passed yesterday in Concord. He went first to see Hawthorne who was sitting alone gazing into the fire his grey dressing-gown which became him like a Roman toga wrapped around his figure. He said he had done nothing for three weeks. Yet we feel his romance must be maturing in...

Thursday Jan. 14. James Russell Lowell, Holmes & Bayard Taylor dined here. Lowell told us a conumdrum he had made.