LETTER: Autograph postcard signed.
Autograph Postcard Signed
Alcott, Louisa May. Autograph postcard signed, “L.M. Alcott,” to Charles Hosmer Walcott, Concord, Mass., Sept. 22, [1879 or 1880].
U.S. postal card, 5-1/6 x 3,” addressed “C. Walcott Esq./Concord, Mass.”; message (approx. 50 words) written on verso. Post office stamps at front; some minor smudges. In a specially made cloth slipcase.
Alcott wrote to Walcott, an attorney, requesting a list of women in his district who had registered to vote in the school committee elections. The postcard reads in full:
Mr. Walcott—,
I have be [sic] asked to get the names of such women in Concord as have registered. I know of twelve, but would be much obliged if you will send me your list. People out of C. seem to take more interest in our affairs than we do. Respectfully, L.M. Alcott.
Given that Alcott seldom references women’s issues in her correspondence, this postcard is quite remarkable. The writing style is unmistakably hers—direct, concise, though not carefully proofread—and the final sentence reveals both her frustration toward apathetic women and the outside world’s invasive interest in Concord affairs. Though the card is not dated, it was most likely written in either 1879 or 1880; Alcott was actively involved in recruiting women to vote in the September elections of both of those years. Charles Hosmer Walcott (1848-1901) was a partner with the Boston law firm Boswell, Howe, & Walcott, and also opened his own law office in Concord, where he provided legal consultation for suffragists including Mary A. Livermore.
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