The Letters of Gertrude Stein and Carl Van Vechten, 1913-1946
Page 67
In view of changing conditions, I am considering presenting your first editions, inscribed, and the periodicals with papers by you to some institution where they would be kept safely in vaults. Also, if you don’t object, your letters. Write me what you think of this. Perhaps you would like to see these in Yale, where your Mss are, but perhaps the N.Y. Public Library which makes equal provision for their care and preservation would make the collection more available to students.
I do hope this letter reaches you. W G Rogers writes you don’t get his letters either.1
Love to you both
Papa W.
1. Rogers had written to Van Vechten, 9 September 1940 (YCAL), that he had received a letter from Stein, the first in nearly a month. In the letter she expressed her concern at not having heard from Van Vechten in a very long time.
To Carl Van Vechten
[28 September 1940] Bilignin par Belley
(Ain)
My dearest Papa Woojums,
What a relief to see your letter with all its pretty stamps, do you know it is the first sign we have had from you since June, and we were peeved, and now it is alright, the history of To Do is mysterious, I had the letter quite promptly from [John] McCullough saying that he did not think it a child’s book and as they only do children’s books most likely they would not do it, so I wrote to him and said when they had definitely made up their minds they should cable me yes or no, so that I could make other arrangements, his letter was dated 7 August, then sent from New York the 20 of August I received $250 which was their advance and then the first September I had a cable saying Yes letter follows, the letter has not followed, so I do not know what happened, perhaps you do by now, anyway you do not say but I do hope you liked it, and Bennett [Cerf] my gracious not a word from Bennett and I have had letters from him right along, I am writing to him right away to find out about it, who is Phyllis, do tell, and about the things in the vaults, about the letters, I think it might be nicer as I am leaving all my collection of letters to Yale and all your letters to me are in it, that my letters to you should be in the same collection, I would also like the only copies xtant of everything I have done which you have, in typewriting would also go to Yale, but I would like all the first editions and things to go to New York Library, does that seem alright, of course it is all as you think best, Papa Woojums does know best, is the refrain of his devoted family who did every moment mind most dreadfully not having a word from him for all these months and months and months do write a lot and all the time and what has become of Nathalie [Barney] do you know and so much love and write write write to us Baby Woojums and Mama Woojums.1
Gtrde.
1. Undated note by Van Vechten written on the envelope: “In this letter G. S. tells me how to dispose of her letters, papers, & books.”
This letter was not part of the group of Stein letters that Van Vechten presented to YCAL on 28 January 1941. It remained in his possession until October 1947, when, with the letters he had received from Stein from [18 November 1940] until her death, it was given to YCAL.
Van Vechten arranged that duplicates of Stein first editions not needed by YCAL be given to the New York Public Library. Van Vechten divided his collection of books, manuscripts, letters, and memorabilia representing his wide range of interests among the Yale University Library, the New York Public Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library, the James Weldon Johnson Collection of Negro Arts and Letters, and certain specialized collections. See Kellner, A Bibliography, pp. [244]-47.
When Van Vechten gave the first group of Stein letters to Yale he attached the following note dated 18 January 1941:
I first heard of Gertrude Stein through Mabel Dodge who, when she returned to America in 1912, distributed copies of Portrait of Mabel Dodge at the Villa Curonia. Early in the summer of 1913 I went to Paris with Pitts Sanborn. Mabel had invited me to motor to Florence with her, John Reed, and Robert Edmond Jones, but she was considerably delayed in arriving in Paris and in the meantime, through Mabel, of course, I had met Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Eventually Mabel arrive[d]. We went to Florence as planned and later I returned to Paris alone.
Van Vechten wrote a second note on the same card also dated 18 January 1941: “The chronology of these letters is approximate as they are not dated, the postmarks are sometimes difficult to decipher. A few may be missing.”
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 14 October 1940] Bilignin par Belley
(Ain)
Dearest Papa Woojums
What a comfort, each mail that comes now brings something from Papa Woojums, and golly if you think we liked those days when there was nothing, those long months when there was nothing, well we did not, so keep on writing, I have not heard anything from [John] McCullough, that is I had the money and a cable saying Yes, presumably that they were taking it but nothing else, do let us know why they do not write and what they have decided,1 I hope you will like Sundays and Tuesdays,2 and please send us the photo of Bennett and Phyllis [Cerf], and please write all the time, we keep very busy, it is very difficult not keeping very busy as we have to that is I have to go to Belley on foot and we have to find whatever we want when it is there, and now they are all getting in their grapes for wine and we had lots of grapes and I don’t know just how but we do seem to be most awfully busy, all the time, and write often and write more often, you do not know what a pleasure your letters are, and love to Fania and lots to Papa Woojums lots and lots and lots,
Baby W. Gtrde.
1. McCullough had written to Stein on 27 September 1940 (YCAL) that he would try to reread the typescript of “To Do: A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays.” There was no cable from McCullough. His next communication with Stein was on 15 October 1940 (YCAL), when he returned the typescript of “To Do” and replied that the $250 Stein wrote him about was a mystery to him.
In an undated letter to Cerf (?November 1940, Columbia-Random House) Stein goes into great detail about the check for $250 she had received from American Express via Marseilles and a subsequent check from American Express via Nice for $243. Stein assumed that the first check, sent from New York on 20 August, was confirmation of McCullough’s intentions to publish “To Do.” The check, in fact, was sent via Bennett Cerf and represented the money from The Atlantic Monthly for her article “The Winner Loses A Picture of Occupied France.” The second check, for $243, was sent to Stein on 1 September and represented money earned from Scribner’s edition of Paris France.
2. “Sundays and Tuesdays” was Stein’s original title for the piece printed as “The Winner Loses a Picture of Occupied France,” in The Atlantic Monthly (November 1940), pp. 166(5): 571–83.
The original title referred to the fact that the German invasion of Poland, which precipitated World War II, and the French declaration of war against Germany had both occurred on Sundays.
Stein, who had become alarmed with the world situation, began to read books of prophecies and astrological predictions. One of these predicted disaster for the Germans on a series of Tuesdays.
To Carl Van Vechten
[Postcard: Patinir, Joachim. Repos pendant la fuite en Egypte]
[postmark: 14 October 1940] [Biligin par Belley
Ain]
Have just had a letter from [John] McCullough he has not yet tried the ms. on children but he seems to think even if they like it, they could not do it, so I have told him to return the 2 ms. to you, his has probably arrived by this time and would you,1 I hate to trouble you but would you first let Bennett [Cerf] see it, and then Scribner’s, Mr. Gilman Low, and then Harcourt, it would be wonderful if one of them liked it. I can’t help thinking it kind of Frank Stocktonish than which I can give myself no higher praise,2 and you did like it, didn’t you Papa Woojums, you did didn’t you, because if you did then one of them will, and you did didn’t you, autumn has come and Mama Woojums is making nugats and we love you so much, lots and lots and lots of love,
&nbs
p; Baby Woojums
1. McCullough to Stein, 27 September 1940 (YCAL).
2. Frank Stockton (1834–1902), American novelist and short story writer.
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 14 October 1940]1 [Bilignin par Belley Ain]
Dearest Papa Woojums,
I just had a letter from [John] McCullough and he has not yet tried it on the children and he seems to think that even if the children like it, they would not want to try it and dear Papa Woojums I hate to bother you you know I do but I do bother you all the same because you are so good, so I am telling him to return the 2 ms. to you, I think by this time he must have had the second one, and will you show it to Bennett [Cerf] and if Bennett says no will you show it to Mr. Wm. Gilman Low III of Scribner’s and if he says no, to Harcourt. You do like the book don’t you because if you didn’t I would know it was no good but you do, and I can’t help being sure that the stories are very Frank Stocktonish, and that you know I think awfully high praise to Baby Woojums, please like the book, and think of all those funny stories in it, you do like them, please do, it is getting a little cold and Pepe has his coat on, and Alice a shawl and otherwise everything is as it was, lots of love and more lots and thanks and more thanks always
Baby Woojums.
1. This is the third letter written on the same day. Each was posted separately. The second letter, beginning “Have just had a letter from [John] McCullough,” is repeated almost verbatim in this letter. One possible explanation for this is that Stein was deeply concerned about the publication of this book and she wanted to make sure that at least one message got through to Van Vechten.
To Carl Van Vechten
[Postcard: Hauterives (Drôme)—“Palais Idéal” Les trois Géants]
[postmark: 25 October 1940] [Bilignin par Belley Ain]
My dearest Papa Woojums,
How are you, autumn has commenced so has sawing wood and Pepe has his coat on, and he and Alice are sitting in the fire, and the garden is being worked over and here we are, what is the news of To Do, Belley has been all xcited because the butchers would not sell meat and were put in gaol, but we all had meat just the same lots of love
Gtrde.
To Carl Wan Vechten
[postmark: 14 November 1940] Bilignin par Belley
(Ain)
My dearest Papa Woojums,
Surely I will do just whatever you want me to do about letters and things but of course as yet none of them are over there, but we will hope that they will all get over there sometime,1 and I have just had a card from Nathalie [Barney], they are still in Florence seem to be meditating going to Switzerland but do not as yet seem to have made up their mind,2 I am so pleased you liked about yourself in To Do,3 I have not heard anything more from [John] McCullough, he said he would have to wait until schools had opened and then settled down before they could try it out on them, of course I would much rather they would do it than anybody else, I cannot really think children would not like it, but then after all children are not always what one thinks they are, we have lots of xcitement, the butchers of Belley, and now the chief judge in Belley turns out to be a charming young man and a poet and we see him a good deal,4 it is xtraordinary the things that can happen in Belley, do congratulate Virgil [Thomson.] for me, I am awfully pleased that everything has happened as it should.5 Poor Gerald Berners I am afraid will never do the Faust, now, it would be fun if 4 Saints should be done again, I have not had a word from Gerald Berners, if you could find out what has happened to him, it would be nice for us,6 and Cecil Beaton, it is a lovely evening and I dig in the garden and Alice cooks what there is to cook, and the days pass pleasantly and always we love Papa Woojums and always and best to Fania always
Gtrde Baby Woojums.
1. Note by Van Vechten, 24 January 1941: “I suggested she give my part of this correspondence also to Yale Library.”
2. Barney to Stein, postmark 25 October 1940, YCAL. Barney and Romaine Brooks spent the war years in the Villa Sant’Agnese, just on the outskirts of Florence.
3. In “To Do: A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays” Stein used specific groups of names beginning with the various letters of the alphabet and told vignettes about the person. Van Vechten was one of the people used to illustrate the letter “V.” See Stein’s Alphabets & Birthdays, pp. 61–65.
4. Pierre Van Der Meulen was the judge in Belley for a few years. Several of his books of poetry were published in Paris by the publisher “Au Divan,” 37 rue Bonaparte.
5. Note by Van Vechten, 24 January 1941: “I wrote her that Virgil Thomson had been made music critic of the Herald-Tribune and everybody was talking about him.”
Van Vechten may have written Stein about Thomson’s appointment in a missing letter. It is not until 11 December 1940 that it is mentioned in these letters. Thomson had succeeded the late Lawrence Gilman as music critic of the New York Herald Tribune. He remained with the paper until 1954.
6. Lord Berners had written Stein more than a year earlier about the problems he was having writing music (see Gallup, The Flowers of Friendship, p. 346). When queried by Van Vechten, who was preparing his introduction for Stein’s Last Operas and Plays, about his failure to write the music for Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Berners wrote that he was prone to “attacks of melancholia” and that when in this condition, “everything turns to despair” (Berners to Van Vechten, 7 ? 1948, YCAL).
To Carl Van Vechten
[Postcard: Hauterives (Drôme)—“Palais Idéal” La Terrasse—Côté Sud]
[postmark: 18 November 1940] [Bilignin par Belley
Ain]
My dearest papa Woojums,
Madame Roux came and said letters to give pleasure à Madame but above all one letter with such pretty stamps, that will give pleasure, and the pretty stamps did give pleasure so much pleasure,1 the man at Scribners is Wm. Gilman Low III send the To Do on to them, will you send it to him directly, happy thanksgiving to you and Fania from us all,
Baby Woojums.
1. Madame Roux was Stein’s long-time housekeeper at Bilignin. Since Stein did not keep the envelope, the stamps cannot be identified.
To Gertrude Stein
23 November 1940 [101 Central Park West
New York]
Dearest Baby Woojums,
To Do has come back from [John] McCullo[u]gh at last and I have passed it on to Bennett [Cerf] and now we’ll hear what HE has to say. If he doesn’t want it, or can’t see his way to publish it, or thinks two books would be too many now, I’ll follow your instructions and pass it on to the next in line … The typewritten manuscripts have directly gone to Yale and will be filed with the other manuscripts and with even more restrictions as I don’t want anybody using anything from unpublished manuscripts just yet without YOUR permission.x They have instructions always to show the manuscripts to people you and I send out there. . I breathe easier now [that] they are there, because I think they are safer and because it is wonderful to have so much of your work together. . The man who is doing the Bibliography for the exhibition is spending the day examining my collection on Tuesday next. His name is Donald Gallup.1. I am printing them a set of photographs(2) and presently, after I have read them and made footnotes, the letters go to them with instructions they are not to be shown until Baby and Papa and Mama Woojums are DEAD. But it is a relief they will be cared for as long as anything is cared for. Ο yes, McCullo[u]gh says he received the second manuscript of To Do and he wants to keep this for awhile. if this is all right, why no need to do anything. If it ISN’T all right, write him to send the manuscript to me at once. It isn’t a matter for me to decide: I told him he could keep it until he heard from YOU. I don’t know why he wants to keep it. . Of course, dear Baby Woojums, I Love this book, but I have never thought it was a children’s book. . Bennett and Phyllis are very happy and I think this is a most happy marriage. When you come to America you must be photographed in color which is about all I do now, except to get OUR papers in order. Yale wanted a manus
cript of mine. As you know I am giving my manuscripts to the NY Public Library, but I am giving Yale the manuscripts of How I listen to Four Saints, printed in the souvenir programs, and to the preface to the Four Saints, printed [in the] book. .
love to you both from Fania and
Carlo
x R[obert] Β Haas wants to examine some of these & possibly use them in his anthology. I have arranged for the Yale Library to loan them to the University of California Library for his convenience—He will not be permitted to remove them from the Reserve Room. However if he wants to print any unpublished material, Yale must have your written consent!
2. Complete—except for the Bad ones!
1. A Catalogue of the Published and Unpublished Writings of Gertrude Stein, compiled by Robert Bartlett Haas and Donald Clifford Gallup, consists of four sections: “Books and Pamphlets by Gertrude Stein,” “Books and Pamphlets With Contributions From Stein,” “Contributions to Periodicals,” and “A Chronological List of the Published and Unpublished Writings of Gertrude Stein.” Donald Gallup was responsible for the first three sections. The fourth section, Haas’s checklist, corrected and brought up to date the bibliography Stein had prepared for transition (February 1929), 15:47–55.
To Carl Van Vechten
[postmark: 3 December 1940] Bilignin par Belley
(Ain)
My dearest Papa Woojums,
The weather is getting cold and I guess it is going to get colder, and when you get away from that fire it is very cold, but we have plenty of wood to burn and we burn it, and I have had the Atlantic1 and now What are Masterpieces, and Bobbie Haas has made it a very nice book and I am so pleased.2 And I am wondering if this will get to you for Christmas and we say merry Christmas to you and Fania and love to[o]. I have not heard anything about To Do, have you, but then there has been an election of course, I am very anxious to hear what the children said, and now once more before we go to bed merry Christmas to you two.