February

February

W. 1 Feb.

Did not go out except for the evening to an "at home" at the Bancrofts to which Mrs Wadsworth took me. The Blaines, Dodge, Upshurs, Miss Lee, Ogdens, Josie Taylor, Carters, Pattisons, Miss Witherspoon came here.

Th. 2

To receive with the Pendletons. Mathilda and Miss Turnbull here, Ginny McL. and her niece (???).

F. 3

To see the Cutts, Logans, Porters, Ross Bays, Rathbones, Hooker, Grace, Miss and Mr L. and Ginny. In the evening to the "Bachelor's German" where I danced with a Taft from Cincinatti, a friend of Mrs Pendleton, who took me there.

Sa. 4

Snowed without stopping for a moment all day. Nevertheless I lunched with Mathilda de N. and stayed with her until after 5, playing piano. Papa returned from N.Y.

Sun. 5

To the party (tertulia) at the Nogueiras_with Señora Martinez and Josefina.

M. 6

With Papa "to the House" where ??? Miss Lucy Frelinghuysen, Mrs Oliver and her sisters Rathbones, Mrs McLane, Hale, Kasson, Lowndes, Belmont. We all lunched with Mr. Kasson. Afterwords we went to see the machines underneath for heating, provisions, etc. Then I went with Papa to see Mrs Basbouir (??) and Miss Dangerfield. Mrs Bancroft, Ogdens, Mrs Robeson and Minnie Stout, Miss Levy, Peabodys, Crowninshields, Mr R. Rofles and Lowery here.

T. 7

Miss Hooker, Mrs Dr G. Loring, Mrs Boswell (??) Schuyler, Beale, Arth. Dester here (and Mrs Ruth, Dr Gunnell). To see Mrs F. Adam, Rathbones, Duncans, Biddles, Peabodys, Crowninshields. Mama left her room for the first time since the 27th, to go to dine with Mrs Wadsworth. Later Papa returned from N.Y.

W. 8

To see Mathilda, Josefina, Peabodys, Browne, Aulick Palmer, Frelinghuysens, Hunts. Here Dr James Palmer, Schericks, Ginny McL. Monday I received from Juan a precious little edition of "Undine."

An undine is a water sprite, a nymph with the ability to assume human form. As with other spirits, they lacked a human soul. According to Paracelsus, when an Undine married a mortal and bore a child, the fusion of natural and supernatural resulted in her gaining a soul. "Edicionita" has been translated has been translated as "small edition." My guess is that the item being referred to is a small volume of the book Undine by Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte Fouqué, the son of Huguenots who fled to Prussia from Normandy after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. His book, which was inspired by the writings of the Swiss physician Paracelsus, was extremely popular during the Victorian era, although it had been written much earlier in 1811. It happens that in 1882 an English translation of the book was published by Riverside Press, a subsidiary of Houghten Mifflen [18]. The book is indeed an "edicionita," being a small volume in a green binding with attractive illustrations. In addition to the book, the story formed the basis of musical scores, operas, the Hans Christian Anderson tale of the little mermaid, one of the stories in Oscar Wilde's collection of fairy tales, and a modern Walt Disney Cartoon.

This journal entry contains the only appearance of the name Juan in the journals. The only Juan I know of in Amy's life is Juan Valera, who arrives in Washington in 1884 as the Minister from Madrid and who is often mentioned in the later letters. This is the first evidence the two might have known each other before 1884, but at this time he was Spanish Minister to Lisbon.

Wed. 9

It rained all day and I did not go out until the evening for a dance at the British Legation with Mama. Mrs. Fanny Peabody who was here for several days at Mrs. Crowninshield's danced the cotillion with Charon. Misses Aldis and Schutz here.

F. 10

Mrs Ashton Gordon-Cumming, Duncans & Mr Kasson here. To see Posie Mason, Miss Mercer, McFreley, Outrey, Miller (Hopkins)_ For the evening at the Lorings (Commissioner).

Posie Mason is mentioned in the letters of Mrs. Henry Adams. On 12 February 1882 she writes regarding a tea party that there were

George Loring was the Commissioner of Agriculture.

Sat. 11

To see the Hopkins, Ashtons, Gordon-Cummings, McCeney, tea-party at the "Wisery"_ Peabodys, Biddles, Mrs L. Carter, Dr. Shirley Carter, Miss Lela Mercer, Mrs Bingham, Ricketts, P. Parker, Miss Lee, Miss Stoughton, J. Kings, Lippetts, Dodge, Mr Ray, Rogers, Kasson here.

Sun. 12

Mr Arthur Dexter, Mrs Phillips, Misses Levy, ???, Stout, McLane, Mr Strong called. High tea at the Shenks with the Hales and General Smith. And later at the Nogueiras'.

M. 13

Mrs Grace lunched with us. For the afternoon at the house of Mrs J. Davis. For the evening, reception ??? (Rose Ray?), afterwards the wedding of his daughter with Mr Harrison, later to the Markol musical and to the Pendleton's.

T. 14

To see Miss West, Mrs Gitting, Miss Mild, Mrs W. Moore, Prestons, Robeson, Knight. Baron de Arinos, Mrs Peabody, Mr Blaine, W. Phillips & Mrs Hannah ? here_ For the evening the last German of the "Tuesday Club."

W. 15

To play the piano with Mathilde from 10 to 12. Lunched with Ginny McL. (Misses West, Lela Mercer, M. Pendelton, Posie Mason, Biddle, L. Williams. Mr & Mrs W. Moore, Mrs Davenport, General Beale, Mrs Oldfield, Mrs Big. Lawrence, Misses Chapman & Mercer. For the evening, at the Wadsworth's.

Th. 16

Lunched at the Lawrence's. Misses Chapman, Mercer, Biddle, L. Emory, J Pendleton, L. Williams & Mrs Arth. Dexter. To see Mrs Robeson who was sick all the week. For the evening at the Frelinghuysen's. Misses Waite, Bissel, Meigs here.

F. 17

To see Mrs Gittings, Outrey, final Bachelors German with Strong. Ida arrived from N.Y. and (???) with us. Chacon, Boca, Ida, P. Mason, J. Pendleton here.

Sat. 18

Lunched at the Pendletons. To see Miss Turnbull of N.Y., Ida, Mrs Hopkins_ Mrs Sally McLane, Mme and Mlle de Chambrun, Miss Miller (Justice), Mrs Story, Mr Paine, Aristarchi, Count Lewenhaupt, Mrs Ferguson here. For the evening at the Bancroft Davis' (some twenty young people for dancing). Papa returned from N.Y.

The note "Justice" suggests that Miss Miller is the daughter of Samuel Freeman Miller (1816-1890), an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (appointed by Lincoln in 1862).

Sun. 19

It rained so much that I did not go to church. In the afternoon to see Mrs Willie Emory and for the evening at the Robesons with Papa and the Minots. Mrs Gitting and Ida and Maj Booth here.

Mon. 20

Dined at the Ogdens. The Minots took me to the dance at the British Legation.

Tues. 21

For the evening at the Bancroft Davis'. Lunched with Mrs Wadsworth. Tea at the Wisery. To see Mrs Gittings, Ida, Miss Lee_ Bénard. Papa returned from N.Y.

W. 22

Ash Wednesday_ At Church. Josef. Martinez, Ida, Dr Palmer, Lamb. Gittings, Mr. & Mrs Hopkins here.

Th. 23

To see Dr Loring for the fourth time. He burned my eyes with silver nitrate which caused them much pain all day, more than the alum. Also he reapplied electricity. Mr. G. Dorr and A. Rives here. To see Mrs. D. King and her sister Miss Rives, Mrs Carter, Lawrence, Chapman, Mercer, H. Adams, Meigs, Brewster, Blaine, Ogden, Markol, McLanes, Robeson.

F. 24

To play the piano and lunch with Mathilde. To see Mrs J. Davis, M. Storey, Bingham, Ida, the Church. For the evening at the Wadworths'.

Sat. 25

To see J. Pendleton, Ida, Miss Stoughton, at Church. Dined at the Dav. Kings. Later at the Hopkins, Mr. V. Drummond, W. Blair, Dr. Gunnel, Prestons (Haiti).

Sun 26

At Church. Ida lunched with us. For the evening at the Robesons.

Mon. 27

Did not go out. Mrs Gordon Cumming came.

Tues. 28

Did not go out. Mrs J. Morris and Miss Lee, Dr and Mrs Ch. Carter, Mr & Mrs H. Adams, Mr & Mrs Ch. Dorr, Mr & Mrs L. Irving, Mrs J. Lodge, Mrs Schlesinger, Mrs Jack Gardner. 

Isabella Stewart Gardner ("Mrs Jack") was the wonderfully eccentric and wonderfully rich art collector who scandalized Boston for years and founded the Gardner museum. Possessor of two fortunes, that of her father and that of her husband Jack Gardner (a cousin of Amy's future husband Russel Gray), she roamed the world in general (and Italy in particular) in search of art treasures for her reconstructed Italian villa in the Fenway, then the swamps on the border of Boston. The famous collector and critic, Bernard Berenson, arranged for many of her purchases, which ranged from the sublime to the silly. The stories about her have become legend. Some examples: Upon moving to Boston and discovering that the aristocracy all belonged to the Episcopalian Church, she announced her conversion to Buddhism. While her villa was being built, she liked to watch while perched in a nearby tree. She kept a whistle handy in order to call the architect or others involved with the project, each responding to a specified series of blasts on the whistle. When told that the orchestra needed an audience to test the acoustics of the concert hall before the opening concert, she was so reluctant to let anyone see the hall before the official opening that she invited the local school for the blind for the rehearsal. Unfortunately it was raining and a well-meaning janitor carefully arranged all of the raincoats, umbrellas, and rubber shoes he found randomly scattered in the entryway. It took hours for the children to locate their moved belongings. Good biographies of her are Mrs Jack [24] and Isabella Stewart Gardner of Fenway Court[8].

Mrs Schlesinger is possibly the wife of Sebastian Schlesinger, who according to Mrs James G. Blaine was a "foreign banker."

February