Text: John C. Miller, ed., “Entry 073: Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram, Nov. 13, 1874,” Poe's Helen Remembers (1979), pp. 225-226 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 225, continued:]

73. Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram. Item 181

My dear Mr. Ingram,

I have just received The Book, and though I have in consequence of many interruptions only had time to give a hurried reading to the “Memoir,” I must write you a word of heartfelt congratulations.

You have done nobly — far, far better than I had dared to hope, writing as you do under so many difficulties, so much uncertainty as to dates & details. The story is told by you with such apparent ease, such simple sincerity of narrative, that it cannot fail to carry with it all the refutation that is needed of Griswold's fabrications.

More hereafter.

In the interval since I received it, one of my friends who has been greatly interested in your work, Mr. Arnold, the artist who painted the picture [of Mrs. Whitman] from which my photograph was taken, came in just as I was opening the volume, and expressed great admiration of the portrait. Thought it the best he had ever seen of Poe, and pronounced the character of the head & the execution of the portrait alike excellent. It is true that he had never seen Poe, but he thought it an “exquisite” ideal characterization. [page 226:]

Senator Anthony, also, who happened to cut the string & take the book out of its wrappings for me, turned at once to the portrait & pronounced it “good, very good.” And he knew Poe. He said he must have the book.

I have only time to send this off before the mail closes. It must go by tomorrow's steamer.

I will write again in a day or two. The protrait [[portrait]] is much more like E.A.P. than the photograph from which it was taken. How could that happen?

But good night & au revoir

The engraving of the cottage is charming.

I am so glad that you had the portrait taken from this copy, rather than the one which I call the Ultima Thule one.

You have told the story of Poe's life in a manner which displays fine tact & temper, as well as having made it very interesting.

But goodbye for the present.