PBA Galleries

16 lines, in ink, on 1st page of 4-page lettersheet of plain blue paper. 21x13.5 cm. (8¼x5¼").

William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer, writes to the radical  Unitarian minister, author, and abolitionist T.W. Higginson, about plans for anti-slavery activities. "My Dear Friend. No time has yet been appointed for holding a State Disunion Convention in Worcester, and I cannot inform you when it will take place. We are to have a Non-Resistance Convention, in your city, on the 29th and 30th inst., which I hope you will be able to attend...." Higginson, to whom the letter is addressed, is also remembered as a correspondent and literary mentor to the poet Emily Dickinson, offering her early encouragement but warning her against publishing her poetry because of its unconventional form and style. After Dickinson died, Higginson collaborated with Mabel Loomis Todd in publishing volumes of her poetry – heavily edited in favor of conventional punctuation, diction, and rhyme.