Little Women Letters to Laurie: The Alcott Family Correspondence with Alfred Whitman, 1858 - 1891

By Lis Adams

A fascinating and deeply compelling collection of 67 letters written to Alfred Whitman, a model for the character of Laurie in Louisa May Alcott's best-loved novel, Little Women. The letters are written by Louisa May Alcott and two of her sisters, Anna and Abby May, along with Anna's husband, John Pratt, who all met and befriended Whitman while

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: May 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798885909556

Lis Adams

Lis Adams is director of education at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and a graduate of both Brandeis University and the museum studies program at Tufts University. She is a member and former co-chair of the Concord Historical Collaborative, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Museum Education Roundtable, the Greater Boston Museum Educators Roundtable, the Arlington Historical Society, and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Lis has presented for the New England Museum Association and the New England Library Association, and has published articles on the Alcotts for the Concord Journal and the Journal of Museum Education. Lis is also an actress and voiceover artist in the greater Boston area, an actor in residence for Playwrights' Platform, and a consultant for the Distinguished Achievements and Special Honors program for the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters.ORCID Lis Adams http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3054-096X

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Part 1: The Young Concord Set

(March–May 1858)

#1 MS AM 1130, (18)

From Abby May (Alcott) Nieriker

To Alfred Whitman

March 2, [1858]

Melrose March 2nd [1858]

Dear Alfred

I was very glad to get your note although I think a P.S. hardly deserves a whole note paper, no matter how small, in return.

Annie tells your famous ball has just come off ¹ & from her description I should think it must have been quite a splendid affair, and only wish I could have been there to enjoy it although I have had several invites to some here, but have had to refuse as I promised mother I would before I left home.

I see that I shall have to come home & see after you as I hear that Miss Train² is bewitching every body, and you amongst others, I see now why, you have had no skating parties or anything of that sort, because you were to[o] much taken up with the young lady in question, why she is nothing but a mere chit only fifteen years old, and I cannot possibly allow such actions so mind young man and don’t let me hear of your walking with her again.

I feel highly honored by the invitation I have received from the Dramatic Union³ for the evening of the tenth, & shall be delighted to come & prompt, play, or anything else I am able to do for them.

I am glad you have moved nearer us and have’nt that long walk to take twice a day;⁴ I should think you must have real good times now there are so many young people there together, but the Pratts must miss you very much and we probably shall’nt see so much of you either as you will have the angelic Sophia⁵ to engage your time.

I sincerely pitied you Sunday being kept wide awake with an angel on one side & a person on the other in the form of my friend (as you call him) Storrow.⁶

I have had a great deal of skating since I came down, and as its all the rage to go to Dedham for it,⁷ I have been there several times and spent whole days on the ice, & can go on flat bottoms now which I consider quite a triumph.

Yours as ever

Abbie

I haven’t been over this with a dictionary in hand so you will probably have the extreme pleasure of telling me half my words are spelled wrong.

Please oblige me so much as not to show this to any one as I should get a scolding for the very beginning I know.

#2 MS AM 1130, (19)

From Abby May (Alcott) Nieriker

To Alfred Whitman

March 7, [1858]

Sunday, March 7th [1858]

Dear Alfred, Dolphus, &c &c

If your only object in writing to me was to enclose that list, I don’t think you deserve any answer but I must write to announce the bad news that Kitty Sargent¹ cannot come & I feel dreadfully about it depending on her playing, I have’nt practiced or learnt any new pieces so am not at all prepared to take her place, she plays very, very finely and would have filled up the time nicely between the plays, but in the present state of things I should think Mr. Hosmer better play some solos but I cannot undertake to learn any of the pieces he mentions before Wednesday, as I have a great deal to do and shall not at any rate come up probably till the four o’clock train then, but am much obliged to you for the honor you do me in wishing I could come early.

I do not think music is so very important so we have got along very nicely without it before but if Mr. Hosmer is so anxious about it, let him play & if there comes a squeeze, I will do my best on the piano although not at all prepared.

I am so indignant about the impression that you say Frank Wheeler² has, that my feelings are too much for me & I cannot say a word, only that I think he is a conceited little coxcomb & never want to hear his name again. To be sure he has been very kind to Lizzie & I respect him for it, but I agree with you perfectly that his proceeding the other night towards you was decidedly cool.

I was not at all tired of reading your nonsense (as you call it), & hope you don’t consider that a long letter, for I don’t at all & shall expect a much longer one next time. I hope you like your new boarding place,³ it is so much nearer school and all the jolly doings that it must be much pleasanter I should think than the Pratts although that’s a real good home for a young person.

I shall expect to have some skating while I am at home & come prepared for it, as now Kitty is’nt coming I can stay longer & have a good time, & perhaps shall be permitted a sight of the immaculate Miss Train,⁴ about whom I think there has been no soft soaping, but that you are trying to throw dust in my eyes, but I suppose it’s a tender point so will refrain from saying any more about her.

John Pratt said in his letter your object in moving to Miss Barrets⁵ was to be nearer Birdie Locke⁶ & Miss Watson,⁷ which I very much fear may be the case, but enough of other nonsense.

I hope the Irish Lion⁸ is a good play, I never heard of it but suppose its George Bartletts⁹ choice, & am glad the squabble is made up again & he has consented to act.

Do excuse all mistakes as I am writting in the midst of confusion surrounded by children, rather in the Tetterby¹⁰ style & Kitty playing on the harp, also I am doing the civil to a young gentleman on the other side, a visitor for a day or two here.

But I must stop now, so good bye

From A.M.A.

My love to the Misses Watson & the angelic Sophia. I hope Storrow¹¹ improves on nearer acquaintance.

Yrs

Abbie

Please mention to the girls that Kitty is not coming

#3 MS AM 1130, (66)

Acrostic by Louisa (Alfred Whitman)

April 9th, 1858

To

Adolphus Tetterby

Acrostic or an Enigma

A clever pleasant flaxen youth

Light-hearted, jocular and gay

Full of good nature and blunt truth

Ready for fun by night or day

Eager to please those worth the pleasing

Decidedly a friend to teasing

Wilful at times but gentle generally

Honest, and open sensible and nice

Indolent at school, at play a busy bee

The friend of that great institution ice

Madly in love with painting his chief joy

A glorious soaring Kansas human boy

Now in guessing this your time employ.

By Louisa M. Alcott

#4 MS AM 1130, (20)

From Abby May (Alcott) Nieriker

To Alfred Whitman

19 April [1858]

Monday, April 19th [1858]

Dear Alfred

It was entirely too bad that we should have got so cheated of our walk, but if I had known the other boys were coming so soon we could easily have slipped off before they arrived & had a nice long ramble thro our pretty woods but there are plenty of other times we can go I suppose so its no great matter, perhaps you have never even thought of it again, but you see I have.

I never answered the note you sent me in Boston because there was’nt so very much that need’nt answering, &, I was also slightly provoked with you for thinking me heartless just because I did ‘nt kiss Annie at the depot, which I hardly thought necessary as I expected to see her very soon in town, & never consider it a very important performance at any time.

You don’t know how much I enjoyed my sail the other day, I have ‘nt really taken more sincere pleasure in anything for a long long time, & I can’nt tell you how much obliged I am. I really prefer it to skating, now, I think that’s saying a great deal for it, as you know my mania for it.¹

You must have had a dreadfully stupid time last night, but I was so tired & sleepy that it was as much as I could do to keep my eyes propped open, & know what was going on. I don’t know why I wrote this note as I had nothing to say but only felt like writting² to some one & so lighted on you as the victim. If you care to, I shall be very glad to hear from you while I am in town, of course don’t write if you don’t want to.

yrs ever

A.M.A.

#5 MS AM 1130, (21)

From Abby May (Alcott) Nieriker

To Alfred Whitman

23 April [1858]

Boston April 23rd [1858]

Dear Alfred

I was very much pleased I assure you to get your letter although it was very short & as you’r not exactly a man of business like Frank Wheeler ¹ I thought I might have expected rather a longer one but I will be grateful for so much, & shall ‘nt expect you to write any more unless you[r]really want to & have plenty of time, but you seem to be the only correspondent I have left, as Kitty, Fred² & all my lady friends are here with me & John’s³ letters are all to certain other people, you see I am quite bereft, & as I rather like to write & receive letters I hope you will take pity on me.

I cannot write very well as John is sort of teazing me, for you must know that Louisa walked all the way down yesterday, & round through Summerville [Somerville]⁴ which makes it 19 or 20 miles, & was’nt very tired after she got here either, so Annie, Louy, John & myself are all here & are going in a party to the Howard⁵ tonight although its rainy & dismal out, but jolly for us altogether here in the house, still we miss our Dolphus & can only wish he was here to enjoy the fun with us, & make our party complete.

Pray don’t get in a fuss with Clarke⁶ as I should think he would be a horrid boy to deal with, & don’t let him call you out or any of that nonsense, & I sincerely hope you will be on good terms with him soon, as it must be very unpleasant to be out, with any school fellow that you see every day.

That certainly was a rich joke about young Howland & only wish I could have been there to see him so nicely ducked.

Louisa says you are going rowing with her soon, well if you do I hope you will make her do the rowing & not blister your hands so again, I never shall allow you to for me certainly.

I suppose you have heard of the arrival of all sorts of beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers, vines &c &c, for our place, & I am very anxious to see them, they are from a particular friend of fathers⁷, & I think it is a a splendid present as some of them are very rare.

I believe I have’nt promised to draw you a picture nor will I now but shall try & get time to do a pretty one for your room if you really wish it, & I can find a good pattern, I suppose you wont feel hurt if I don’t succeed in finishing one for you, as my days are a good deal broken up what with having to draw, paint, practice, receive & return calls, & a few other trifles, I dont get so much time as one would think. But as I tell you I will try & shall take great pleasure in doing a penciling for you.

Annie sends heaps of love & wishes you were here with us, John will probably bring this & tell you all the news, so with much love I am ever

yrs truly

A.M.A.

#6 MS AM 1130, (22)

From Abby May (Alcott) Nieriker

To Alfred Whitman

1 May [1858]

Saturday May 1st [1858]

Dear Alfred

I received yours of the 27th yesterday & should like to know how it came, as it was marked Boston and must have been delayed some how.

I got your sleepy note but could ‘nt make much of it out, and should ‘nt acknowledge it at all, as it was not directed to me but some unknown personage, if I did’nt think Louisa had prompted your writing it so. You must have had a jolly time at Fairhaven¹ and it would be perfectly delightful to have a little pic nic there but don’t please have it till I come as I should enjoy it so much, you wont now, will you?

Its too bad to talk so about the Watsons² & what do you mean about its being better for them not to come back, have they had any fuss with you young man?

I am sure I am sorry if I have repeated & troubled you about writing, for I did’nt intend to but only meant to leave you free to answer or not as you chose, for you know I sort of begun the correspondence, & dont know why I ought to know that you liked to write, for my letters are silly & dont generally come to much so you could be much interested in the answers you got.

This is certainly the most splendid May Day³ that could be imagined, & the Common is full of children with these white dresses & wreaths, but I want to be sailing dreadfully, on Concord river and mean to get back just as soon as possible after my visit to the Holland’s ⁴, Cambridge & Athenaeum⁵ exhibitions are over, & as I shall stay only till Wednesday at the Hollands & go Tuesday to the College’s with Fred, then draw from the statuary & by week after next come home, I rather guess. Thursday night Annie & I went to the Museum⁶ with a young gentleman friend of ours, & saw a very nice play called Second Love,⁷ perhaps you may of seen or read it about a poor blind girl who is dreadfully deceived by those around her, till suddenly she gets her sight, but without letting them suspect it, and goes on watching them & finding out all their plots, & then comes the grand burst, where they find out that she can see, which is splendid, & the whole very interesting, also two other little farces either or both of which Annie and I thought good for private plays, they were The Four Sisters⁸ & Quiet Family,⁹ we had a very nice time & I liked Warren¹⁰ better than ever.

I have’nt succeeded as yet in finding any thing pretty to copy for your room but guess I shall in time.

Kitty¹¹ & I spent the whole morning not long ago looking at pictures in the different artists studios, & had a beautiful time of it, she is making poker sketches¹² now, perhaps you have seen some of Ball Hues¹³, they are quite common, of Charles Sumner & others.

I must stop now so

good bye yrs ever

Abbie.

Part 2: Distant Friends

(October 1858–November 1859)

#7 MS Am 1130, (1)

From Louisa May Alcott

To Alfred Whitman

27 October [1858]

Boston Oct 27th [1858]

My Dearest Dolphus.¹

I’ve been hoping to get a minutes peace to write to my boy for ever so long but such a fussing & mussing as I’ve had to keep up ever since I came that I’m most tired out & begin to despair of ever getting any quiet.

Carrie² may have told you that I’ve gone to seek my fortin & found it in the shape of a demonic little girl who dont digest her food & does rave & tear & scold & screech like an insane cherubim.³ For the sum of two hundred & fifty dollars a year I am expected to keep the sweet angel happy & instil into her youthful mind such knowledge as her dyspepsia will permit. Her Ma is a kind soul & provides funds for her amusement in the most liberal manner so I go riding about the country in thier carriage or cars & buss’es to see the various works of art & nature which abound in these parts. I like it as well as I do any work & pile as much fun into my evenings as