by Edward Burns
Carlo.
To Carl Van Vechten
[Cablegram]
24 August 1934 Belley
SO HAPPY MAY I DEDICATE PORTRAIT BOOK TO YOU LOVE1
GERTRUDE.
1. See Stein to Van Vechten, 3 August 1934, note 2.
To Gertrude Stein
[Telegram]
[postmark: 25 August 1934] New York
Deeply honored by dedication am very happy too love
Carlo
To Gertrude Stein
25 August 1934 150 West Fifty-fifth Street
[New York]
Dear Gertrude:
Your cablegram made me very happy, happy that you and [Bennett] Cerf have got together and especially happy that the Portraits are to be dedicated to ME! I cabled you at once. By the way if you have occasion to cable me again: Carlvecht New York is the cable address. If I have not given you this it is perhaps because you have never cabled before! So this is quite an historical occasion… And this morning your letter is here. I think now that it is arranged (this is what you suggested in your letter to him) that Cerf do the Portraits this fall and the Lectures in the Spring, it would be an error in technique to get anything else out at present and I think by far the better book coincident with your arrival would be the Portraits, which you have already agreed upon. I also think it would be a breach in publishing etiquet to take the Four in America anywhere else. When you arrive you can talk this over with Cerf and come to some agreement about it. At any rate it would be crazy to plan to publish anything else this year and now that things are rolling along so nicely I hope you will leave all future plans in abeyance till you come to New York and sit in Bennett’s pleasant office and converse with him viva voce. In the meantime, please hurry up with the portraits, because I can’t wait till I see this with my name all across the dedication page!
About Harcourt, I don’t know them at all and so can’t find out much there. I seem to have lost the clipping in which it was announced they would do the lectures.x It appeared so far as I know in only one paper and so may not have been officially inspired. Maybe somebody just guessed they would because they have been publishing you lately.
It will be at least two weeks before I can send the pictures. They are being prepared for their long journey very carefully. When you see them, you will understand and forgive the delay.
You are a woojums and Alice is a woojums and I embrace you both!
Carlo!!
xI cut it out to send to you & it may turn up yet.
To Carl Van Wechten
[postmark: 25 August 1934] Bilignin par Belley
Ain
My dearest Carl,
You are a wiz and you have made me as happy as happy can be, and do you like this as a dedication.
To Carl
Who knows what a portrait is
because he makes and is them.
and do you like Portraits and Prayers as a title that was the original title I had for the book and I think it is a pretty good one, I am so pleased and we are so busy, that I have no time to worry about how it will be to lecture.1 I finished writing them yesterday, I am awfully anxious to have you see them, most likely I will send over a copy to [Marvin] Ross who is to decide which is to be given to which and he will have strict orders to show them to nobody but you, but you I do want to see them, Alice and I are having our clothes made for this event and anyway it is getting very near, but happily it is going to be near you, and so we will be all safe, I am so pleased and we are waiting for the photos and everything and lots of love and to Fania,
Always
Gertrude
1. The title “Portraits and Prayers” appears very early in Stein’s copy books where she made lists of works to include in volumes of her work. See Stein to Van Vechten [6 July 1923], note 2.
To Gertrude Stein
27 August 1934 150 West Fifty-fifth Street
[New York]
Dear Gertrude,
The first character of the first Revue of the year is named Gertrude Stein and they started right off with a scene about you! This may be a good omen.1 The photographs are marching along.
much love, Carlo!!!
1. In Keep Moving, a revue featuring Tom Howard and directed by John Murray Anderson, there was a scene, “Murder in a Fishbowl,” that burlesqued Stein’s Four Saints in Three Acts. Keep Moving opened at the Forest Theatre, New York, on 23 August 1934.
To Gertrude Stein
[Postcard] Fania Marinoff [and] Henry Hull in the Bride the Sun Shines On 1932
27 August [1934] [150 West Fifty-fifth Street New York]
Dear Gertrude:
Will you tell the conscripts of Belley to get their pictures from
Antoine Berthat—Boucherie Lambert—Belley or
Joseph Décroze, Biens par Belley—
I sent off two packages registered today.
You will get yours in due course.1
Love
Carlo
1. Photographs Van Vechten had made in Belley. See Stein to Van Vechten [1 October 1934], note 2.
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 1 September 1934] Bilignin par Belley
Ain
My dear Carl,
The portrait book is all in shape and Alice is busy typing it and I am busy correcting it, and I think and I am happy about it that it is going to be worthy of the dedicatee, which is you, I hoped you liked the dedication, it rather pleased me but then we do please each other Carl and nothing can be nicer than that. My heart is very full of happiness. [Bennett] Cerf has done everything he has done very charmingly and I am most awfully grateful to be in his hands. I entirely agree with you that the Four in America should not come out until a considerable time after the lectures have been out, on the other hand the portraits are so entirely right as that will be what I am reading from mostly. About the pictures don’t worry I perfectly understand and nobody will have one of them in their possession xcept us. You see what happened was that I was completely knocked in a heap by them, they are pretty wonderful and all the french people who saw them and we were seeing a lot of french people then were so taken aback by them, they were so different from anything they knew that I lost my head and wanted to show them to everybody in France, and that was how it happened. They are pretty wonderful, and you do understand. Had a nice letter, Alice did from Cerf about the Plain Editions.1 About the Birthday book, if I hear from the John Day people, from whom I have not heard I will do as you and Cerf think will be best for our books in general. Of course that was all begun before there was any hope of the portrait book, and the portrait book is the thing, in that I think everything comes together. And now I am going on correcting and the book will be already the end of next week so it will get to Cerf in plenty of time and lots and lots and lots of love.
Gertrude
We stay here until the 28 of September, but you have to allow for two days more for a registered package to get here than to Paris, we are wanting to see them and Trac is to be with us in Paris, and we will tell the cafe [man], I am sorry about Virieu there will be another Virieu avec nous2
Love
Gertrude
1. Cerf wrote to Toklas (22 August 1934, YCAL) and asked for five copies of each volume in the Plain Edition series.
Note by Van Vechten, 22 January 1941: “Bennett Cerf agreed to have copies of the Plain Edition in his office for sale, if anybody queried for them.”
2. See Van Vechten to Stein [14 June 1934].
To Gertrude Stein
[Postcard: Amstel House, Built 1730—New Castle, Del]
5 September 1934 [150 West Fifty-fifth Street New York]
Dear Gertrude:
The dedication seems perfect.—I can’t wait. The photographs should get off on Saturday, I think—this is Wednesday—There will be a couple extra ones for Trac if you know where he is. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. The lectures & the portraits were announced in the papers today & it all looked quite thrilling. … Everything seems to
point to this being your year. But so is any year! Portraits & Prayers is an inspiration as a title!—By all means tell [Marvin] Ross to show me the lectures.—I haven’t met him yet but expect to next week.
Love & Love!!
[Carl Van Vechten]
To Carl Van Vechten
[Postcard: Saint-Paul de Varax—Le Portail de l’Eglise]
[postmark: 8 September 1934] [Bilingnin par Belley Ain]
My dearest Carl,
The ms. of the Portraits went off yesterday and I am so happy. We saw the cafe man at Belley and he will give them all their photos, and he is very xcited about it, and so are we, and most certainly wanting and lots of love
Gertrude.
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 21 September 1934] Bilignin par Belley
Ain
My dearest Carl,
We sail on the Champlain Oct 17, and get to New York supposedly the 24 but it will probably be later as the french line is I believe always late. It never has been so near, so far no photographs have come but we xpect them every day, and Carl I do want to bring to you a really nice present, a present you will like, the only thing so far I could think of was my portrait by [Kristians] Tonny which I think you do like, tell me Carl honestly would that please you, it is fairly large of course and might only be a nuisance but I do want to give you something that you would really and truly like, tell me truly to 27 rue de Fleurus, and if you say yes we will bring it, if not there will be something else but I love you so very much I want to bring you something you will really truly like, you can imagine we are xcited, we have written to the Algonquin, and xpect an answer soon,1
Lots of love
Gertrude.
1. Stein bound the manuscript of Four Saints in Three Acts and brought this as a gift for Van Vechten. Van Vechten presented this to YCAL in 1941.
To Carl Van Vechten
23 September 1934 Bilignin par Belley
(Ain)
My dear dearest Carl
The photographs have come and I wish I wish I wish you could have heard the literal screams of delight with which we looked at them and at last Alice said with a sigh, it is fantastic that they are so beautiful. You are a magician Carl that is all there is to it. It is the first time that photographs have been made by light being inside as well as outside, I never saw anything like the wonder of the way the lights from the hair in Alice’s head come to be inside and through. It’s marvellous. And perhaps the one the really one that I think is the best photograph that ever is or will be done is the one of me sitting with Basket very small on the wall and the little house and the landscape all big, I think now that I would almost rather have that as a frontispiece of the Portraits and Prayers, it is so beautiful, Alice says, but we will always travel with them. And the two of Basket on the chair and Pepe everywhere. And then the two of us at les Chaumettes each one against the foliage and such each one of us and such foliage, and the roses, it’s really not believable. And then one that is perhaps another most favorite is the back of my head against the pillar of box, but all of them against the pillar are marvellous, and also Lucy Church, Lucy Church is beautiful and one of me at the cross is very fine, and they have just come and we have only looked them through twice yet; and they are so beautifully put up but we really even Alice could not pay much attention to that with those photographs. You are really leading the way to something Carl, it’s another thing, I don’t know what it is but it is another thing, and we are so happy about them it is the very first time that we have really loved any photographs of the other one, the very first time. Trac will have his, then our first China boy is so jealous he quite dropped tears, and I am going in to Belley and I will ask and see if the Cafe have had theirs, and we leave here day after tomorrow, they just came in time to make a lovely end to a lovely summer, and we sail on the 17 on the Champlain and we will see you soon and we will always travel with them, I can’t believe them
Always and always
Gertrude.
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 1 October 1934] 27 rue de Fleurus
Paris
My dearest Carl,
Here we are and the beautiful book traveled with us, and it is beautiful,1 it is wonderful having the photographs of the photographs of St. Therèse, and now every day brings us nearer to you, and being nearer to you is nice. We are most awfully busy, but that is a good thing,
lots and lots of love
Gertrude
Oh and I asked at the café du Marché, Place des Ternaux if they had ever gotten the photographs of the conscripts and they said no they had not. That was on the 27 of September, that they had not yet received them.2
1. It may have been an advance copy of Portraits and Prayers, which was published on 7 November 1934.
2. Note by Van Vechten, 22 January 1941: “Photographs I made of conscripts in the Square of Belley and that I promised to send them.”
To Gertrude Stein
[Postcard: Cherry Blossoms, Hains Point, Washington, D.C.]
[postmark: 3 October 1934] [150 West Fifty-fifth Street New York]
Dear Gertrude:
You are a woojums & Alice is a woojums to appreciate the photographs. You will be delighted with Portraits & Prayers. I have seen a “dummy” of it & it is beautiful … I don’t know what to write you about [Kristians] Tonny’s portrait. I admire this, but I have no place to hang it nowx & also I am very much embarrassed by your bringing me a present. It is so much if you bring yourself. But anything you do will be all right. The portraitsx to me give almost a complete picture of you & Alice … at least I can easily fill in what is lacking. I love ’em! I will be seeing you soon! Hurrah! Love to you both.
Carlo.
xand it is so big for you to carry!
xI mean my photographs!
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 4 October 1934] 27 rue de Fleurus
Paris
My dearest Carl,
We have just had an awfully nice letter from Mr. [Frank] Case of the Algonquin, and making very nice arrangements for us,1 and it all sounds pleasanter and pleasanter, we are just kind of going ahead and before we know it there we will be, it is the Champlain which sails the 17, and Trac is back with us and so happy about the photos, he looked as if he did not think it was possible that he could have been so beautiful. I am xpecting to hear from you before we leave which is still ten days, and then we will be there. Lots and lots of love and thanks so much for the nice Algonquin arrangements
Always
Gertrude.
1. Case to Toklas, 22 September 1934, YCAL. Case thanked Toklas for her letter of 13 September and gave her the rates for the room Toklas had requested: a double room with two beds and bath not higher than the sixth floor. Case offered Toklas a suite with the same arrangements plus a sitting room. The rate was $5 per day or $30 per week.
To Gertrude Stein
[Radiotélégramme]
[23 October 1934] New York
Will you dine with us tomorrow night
Love
Carlo
To Carl Van Vechten
[Radiogram]
23 Oct[ober] 1934 SS Champlain
OF COURSE JOYFULLY LOVE1
GERTRUDE
1. Note by Van Vechten, 22 January 1941: “I had radioed the boat to ask Gertrude and Alice to dine with us the night they arrived.”
To Fania Marinoff
[2 November 1934] Hotel Algonquin
59 to 65 West Forty-fourth Street
New York
My dearest Fania
You are and were an angel, before the lecture I just ate oysters and your fruit,1 and I will be doing that each day till I get used to it and how I ask you how could I have eaten so much lovely fruit if you had not sent it to me, but there you had, and Alice and I regaled ourselves and we are going on and blessing you all the time. Carl told you all I said about your acting and it is true, it is dramatic and natural you are just our natural Fania and yet you are
something else,2 Carl also told you of my dreams that some day they will do a play of mine and you will be in it but anyway we all love each other a lot which is most awfully awfully nice
Always and always
Gtrde
1. Stein delivered her lecture, “Painting,” at the Colony Club, New York, on 2 November.
2. Van Vechten had taken Stein and Toklas to see Fania Marinoff who was performing the role of Madame Cevelli in Elmer Rice’s play Judgment Day.
To Gertrude Stein
[10 November 1934]
Saturday 150 West Fifty-fifth Street
[New York]
Dear Gertrude,
I am in town for only a minute and flitting away, but I thought perhaps you had missed this sensible [Heywood] Broun article. . Gilbert Seldes writes he had one too, which he is sending.1 You will see: the worms will turn, but the early birds caught ’em long before they turned!
The party for 9 P.M. November 18 is shaping magnificently. I hope you will have it happily with a spoon. . It has occurred to me that the blessed St. Therese No. 1 will be back and I am going to ask HER.2
We flew back in four and a half hours (a half hour early!) without a jolt. . and flying at night is very wonderful.
I shall be back early Monday. Please call me up when you get up to say hello. I want to go to the Cosmopolitan Club on Tuesday if it is a different magpie: You must tell me. Whenever you want to go to Florine [Stettheimer]’s, let me know. Whenever you want to do anything, let me know.
I am going to make you both Ladies of the Royal Order of Woojums, and you will go out with medals after this instead of orchids and gardenias.
567 white hyacinths in jade pots to you both!
