[“Walt Whitman’s pencil / the last used / Given me by John Burroughs / 1 April 1892.”]
From Walt Whitman at the Lilly, an Indiana University online exhibition: Whitman’s (alleged) last pencil. It’s a Dixon’s American Graphite. Click through for a much larger photograph and Whitman’s thoughts about pencils and their uses. (Hint: spoon .)
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All OCA pencil posts (Pinboard)
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Whitman’s last pencil
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Working on editing a Lincoln book for kids, I just read that L. used to wave at Walt when they saw each other in Washington.
ReplyDeleteI like to imagine that.
I also imagine Lincoln used pencils? Do you know?
Never mind, I googled it, and––how amazing!
As you may know, Lincoln was carrying, among other things, a small pencil in his pocket on the night he was shot.
"A small pencil"--the sort of detail that makes history feel read (and, in this case, sad).
There's a photo of the contents of his pocket here (but I don't spy a pencil):
www.pensncoffee.com/abraham-lincolns-edc-pocket-carry
That’s great, Fresca. It’s curious that the one thing missing from the photographs is the pencil. It makes me think of Henry Petroski’s observation in The Pencil: when antiques dealers buy toolboxes, trunks, and the contents of artists’ and architects’ studios, they throw out the pencils. Though I doubt that Lincoln’s pencil was thrown out. But where is it?
ReplyDeleteI found a picture of one Lincoln pencil, posed very much like the Whitman pencil.
P.S.: If I were a kid, I would be excited to read about what Lincoln was carrying in his pockets. (As I am now.)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the photo of Lincoln's pencil!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that.
[I'd transcribe the handwritten note "the week before he died" not the "work".]
"“What has it got in its pocketses?"
(You know, LOTR.) An endlessly fascinating question, I think.
Yes, it’s “week.” I had to look up “LOTR” to know what it stands for: it’s way off my radar. But now I understand.
ReplyDeleteYeah, looking again, I can see the capital-style "e" clearly in "Gen", same as in "week".
ReplyDeleteSorry--I've been so surrounded by fandoms, I forget not everyone instantly recognizes the shorthand!
Lord of the Rings is not really my thing;
though I loved it in high school, unlike Star Trek it didn't interest me later. But one fandom bumps up against the others, so I catch the lingo.
I think most people in the English-speaking world understand “LOTR.” I’m an outlier. : )
ReplyDeleteI use pencils to stir my coffee and tea. Just came across a bag of some of the many pencils (mostly stubs) I've held on to over the years, and thought of you.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it funny (and great) how we make these associations? I can’t open a can of sardines without thinking about our fish adventures.
ReplyDeleteAnd may I piggyback on this conversation and say I ate a can of sardines and liked it pretty well---just bought one in lemon olive-oil and one in tomato sauce---and it's all because of you two (Martha & Michael)!
ReplyDeleteMy brain thanks you.
I shall eat them with a pencil. (Not.)
Martha, we’ve made a convert.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't’t eat them with a pencil either, but they would go well with penne, or any pasta: some garlic, oil, red-pepper flakes, sardines, all smushed up in a pan and then mixed with the pasta.