Creator
A[lexander] W. Drake
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
January 4, 1895.
Mr. John Muir,
Martinez, California.
My dear Mr. Muir,
I had hoped to have time write you a personal letter before this, but I have been more than overwhelmed with office and home and social affairs, so that I have scarcely had an evening to myself since my returnts; at last I am forced to resort to a dictated letter* and that in cold typewriting, but you will pardon me, I am sure. I have thought of you often, of my delightful visit at your house, and of the hospitality so kindly extended to me by Mrs. Mudr and yourself.
Mr. Will H. Drake is still in the vicinity of Pasadena, where he has been doing the missions.
Mr. Johnson has been urging me to get the illustrations ready for your first article on Muir Glacier, the manuscript of which has gone back to you for revision, and which I have not seen.
One thing I would like very much to have you do if possible, That is, to have a good photograph taken of the excellent painting of Muir Glacier by Thomas Hill - the one
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with the boat in the foreground, which I think gives the best idea of the Glacier of anything I have seen, either photograph or drawing. Also, will you kindly send me other photographs which you think will help to illustrate the article.
It would be a great assistance to me if you could forward your article soon so that I may read it and know just what to do. The other article, "An Alaska Trip", I read while on my way to Sitka, and was much interested in it. To my mind, it gives a splendid idea of the voyage and I am sure will be a very strong incentive to people to visit that remarkable region.
Perhaps you have a good photographer in your vicinity who can take a photograph of Mr. Thomas Hill's painting. If not, could you not take it out of the frame and send it to San Francisco? Of course we will pay all expenses connected with it. I am extremely anxious to get the best possible photograph of it. Please have a negative made 8 X 10 inches I do not wish to hurry you in the matter, but the editors have put this article down for an early spring number and we have less than a month to get it ready, so any help you can give
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me will be much appreciated. We shall probably have to discard some of the pictures already made for your article, for I know you are not pleased with them. However, in justice to the artist who drew them I will say that no one, without having been to Alaska, could get any idea of the beauty and grandeur of that never-to-be-forgotten country. Has Keith or any of the other San Francisco artists done anything of Muir Glacier which you think would reproduce well for this article? We want the best and only the best. I do hope you may have something which will help me in the way of illustrations. It is so difficult for me to know just what to select as illustrating the article. If you will pick out such photographs as you may have, indicating which you think will give the best idea to the public, I will do all I can to have them well drawn.
Wishing you and Mrs. Muir and the young ladies a very Happy New Year, I remain
Yours sincerely,
A. W. Drake
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Location
New York
Date Original
1895-01-04
Source
Original letter dimensions: 28 x 21 cm.
Recommended Citation
Drake, Alexander W., "Letter from A[lexander] W. Drake to John Muir, 1895 Jan 4." (1895). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 6958.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/6958
Resource Identifier
muir08_0695-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 08, Image 0695
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
