Sold For $11,354
*Includes Buyers Premium
ALS, signed "Oscar Wilde," one page both sides, 7 x 9, no date but circa November/December 1882. Handwritten letter to "Mr. Whiffen," from "48 West 11th Street." In full: "I am afraid you will think my very forgetful but I was quite under the impression that tomorrow was the day you so kindly invited me to visit you on and today I most unluckily have made an appointment with a theatrical manager who has come specially from Boston to see me and fear I can not break it." In fine condition, with some light edge toning.
Oscar Wilde arrived in New York on January 7, 1882, and departed for home two days after Christmas. During this period, he embarked on an ambitious lecture tour on aestheticism that carried him across the United States and into Canada, reaching as far west as Colorado and as far south as Texas. He returned to New York in late October, where he entered into serious negotiations for American productions of his early plays, Vera and The Duchess of Padua. Vera proved a spectacular failure when staged in New York in August 1883, while The Duchess of Padua fared only marginally better, closing in January 1891 after twenty-one performances.
From the personal collection of a lifelong collector, teacher, and traveler with a passion for world history. His collecting years ranged from the 1970s to the present day, meaning that several of the premier pieces have not been on the market in decades.
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