Boston Public Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Department Finding Aid Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) Correspondence 1875-1895 (bulk 1881-1889) Ms Acc 532 Collection Summary: Title: Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) Correspondence Span Dates: 1875 1895 Bulk: 1881 1889 Ms No: Ms Acc 532 Creator: Samuel L. Clemens Extent:.5 cubic ft. Language: Material is in English Abstract: This collection documents the relationship between the American novelist Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) and the sculptor Kurt Gerhardt (1875-1910). Clemens financed Kurt Gerhardt s education at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and in 1885, helped he helped Gerhardt secure a commission from President Ulysses S. Grant. Other subjects include Clemens health, travel plans, business matters, among them his lecture tour and finances, and an altercation involving an unauthorized biographical publication. Also discussed are book illustrations and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Personal Names: Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910. Twain, Mark, 1835-1910. Clemens, Olivia 1845-1904. Gerhardt, Karl, 1853-1940. Bliss, Elisha, 1822-1880. Stoddard, Charles Warren, 1843-1909. Lanthrop, George Parson, 1851-1898. Chatto, Andrew, 1841-1913. Subjects: Sculpture, American -- 19th century. Entrepreneurship. Typesetting machines -- Design and construction. Administrative Information: Provenance: This collection was purchased through the Josiah H. Benton Fund, April 1939. Processing History: Finding aid prepared by Heather Mumford, March 2010. 1
Preferred Citation: Samuel L. Clemens Correspondence. Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library/Rare Books. Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research. Chronology: Date Event 1835 Samuel Clemens born in Florida, Missouri. 1845 Olivia (Langdon) Clemens born in Elmira, New York. 1853 Karl Gerhardt born in Boston, Massachusetts. 1863 Harriet Josephine (Gloyd) Gerhardt born in Dalton, Massachusetts. 1870 Clemens and Olivia Langdon marry. 1872 Clemens family moves to Hartford, Connecticut. 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is published. 1880 Clemens begins investment in Paige typesetter. 1881 Clemens finances sculptor Karl Gerhardt s education at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. 1884 Gerhardt returns to America to find work. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published. 1885 Clemens and Gerhardt visit Ulysses S. Grant and present Grant with bust. 1891 Clemens family moves to Europe. 1894 Clemens embarks on world-wide lecture tour to recover from debt. 1897 Harriet Josephine Gerhardt passes away in Bloomfield, Connecticut. 1898 Clemens finishes paying off creditors. Clemens family takes up residence in an apartment at the Hotel Krantz, Vienna. 1900 Clemens family returns to America. 2
1904 Olivia Clemens passes away. Samuel Clemens moves to New York City. 1908 Clemens moves to Redding, Connecticut. 1909 Daughter Clara marries, Daughter Jean passes away. 1910 Samuel Clemens passes away in Redding, Connecticut. 1940 Karl Gerhardt passes away in Shreveport, Louisiana. Related Collections: [?], 1874, Ms.E.9.4 Baxter, Sylvester, 1887, Whitman Mss 2 Field, Kate, 1886, Ks.KF.101 Field, Kate, [1873], Ms.KF Vol. 1 No. 100 Phillips, Mary E., 1901, Ms.Am 1200 Phillips, Mary E., [1901], Ms.Am 1200 Phillips, Mary E., 1904, Ms.Am 1200 Redpath, James, [1872], A.1770.12 Scope and Content Note: This collection contains sixty-one letters written by Samuel Clemens between 1870 and 1910. The majority of the letters are addressed to Karl Gerhardt and document their personal and business relationship. Topics include the yearly expenses of Gerhardt's education, the Ulysses Grant bust, and the Paige Typesetting Machine. In addition to business matters, Clemens also wrote to inform Gerhardt on the whereabouts and general well-being of their mutual friends, including Augustus St. Gaudens, John Quincy Adams Ward, and Charles Dudley Warner. Also documented is Clemens publications, such as Mark Twain s Annual 1871, book illustrations, family travel plans, and lecture tours. Mark Twain's Lebensgeschichte, an unauthorized biography Clemens found in Vienna, Professor Rudolf Virchow's plasmon powder, and Jesuits and Catholics are some of the other subjects are discussed in the letters. Moreover, the contribution made by Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is also mentioned. Organization of the Papers: The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by recipient. 3
Container List Box 1 Folder Contents Date 1 Bliss, Elisha n.d. 2 Chatto, Andrew n.d. 3 Dear Sir 1899 4 Dear Sir 1899 5 Deed: Paige Typesetting Machine 1889, 1891 6 Envelopes (empty) 1881, 1882, 1885 7 Fragment n.d. 8 Gerhardt, Karl and Josephine 1881 9 Gerhardt, Karl and Josephine 1881 10 Gerhardt, Karl and Josephine 1881 11 Gerhardt, Karl 1882 12 Gerhardt, Karl 1885 13 Gerhardt, Karl 1886 14 Gerhardt, Karl 1889 15 Gerhardt, Karl n.d 16 Gerhardt, Karl and Josephine n.d 17 Gerhardt, Karl and Josephine n.d. 18 Gerhardt, Karl n.d. 19 Lanthrop, George 1884 20 Lutz [?] 1899 21 Note n.d. 4
22 Old Man 1895 23 Old Man 1910 24 Portrait s n.d. 25 Stoddard, Charles 1875 26 Stoddard, Charles n.d. 5