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ALS signed “Love, Janis,” five pages both sides, 5.75 x 7.75, August 28. Letter to her then fiance, Peter DeBlanc, in full: “Well, good morning. It’s Sat. morning here & I’m writing this while I’m still sleepy in hopes that I will be able to get it in the mail in time to reach you without skipping a day. By the way, when I talked to you last night, you hadn’t received a letter from me that day…did you get it the next day? Check the dates & see if you have one for every day, if not then the post office has lost one. Perhaps we should start numbering them so we can be sure. I’ll number this one, & all following, unless you don’t want me to, and you try & keep track so we’ll know if they’ve goofed.
Please excuse my writing on the back of the pages, but I’m down to only 5 sheets & I want to be sure that I can finish this letter. By the way, did you get my present? You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to-mother told me that she thought you might feel silly using it-I won’t feel slighted if you do. This morning Michael has gone w/ a church group to go swimming, so it’s kind of quiet around here. Yesterday was Red & White day for Laura. The Hussars wear red and white uniforms, hence, the name. It is their debut, of sorts. And so of course we were all there, w/ our binoculars craning to see her march. They were really good! They had a lot of intricate drum counter-rhythm things & fancy marching & I was so proud! I always cry at things likes this. Every X-mas Mike & Laura participate in this living billboard type pageant that they have at church. It’s at night & the spotlights shine on the members of the nativity as the loudspeaker broadcasts the story. And every time I’ve seen it, twice, I get all welled up w/ pride & I cry. Same thing yesterday. Same thing when Michael used to play little league. I just sniffle…sigh! I make a very good proud sister.
I cut out some of the pieces to my quilt yesterday & began sewing them together. It’s not as hard or slow as I expected so it looks like I will be able to finish it. The pieces are [with arrow to a sketched square] this big. It’s a very geometrical design and really lovely-the pieces alternate greens & blues & also fade from dark to light at the same time. We’re doing it on the sewing machine because the seams are all straight but it’s still kind of tedious because each seem is only the width of one piece-you sew a row of them together & then two rows together. After we finish joining the entire top of the quilt together, as per pattern, then it has to be quilted. That’s the part where the cotton & backing are joined to the top by some intricate hand-stitching or tying. My great grandmother (mother’s grandmother, who is at least 90) is still alive in Clay Center, Nebr. and her church group there is literally famous for its beautiful quilting. So Mother has written to her & maybe we can get them to quilt our quilt. It would really be a fantastic honor if we could. Before you think I’m avoiding doing it myself, let me explain. It is traditional for the bride to make the design & for her friends or her family to help her w/ the quilting. But it’s really too much to bank on-I mean my grandmother’s being able to do it-so Mother & I already have planned how we are going to do it.
I’m sorry I wasn’t awake last night when you called, but we do go to bed around here early. I’ve been getting up between 5:30 & 7 every morning to do homework before I go to school & we just get sleepy early. You must understand… Also, about the phone calls, you can’t call me every day! I mean enough saying you can’t afford it & doing it, you really can’t afford it! It’s nice to talk to you-it really is, in fact after all my protestations, I secretly was hoping that you’d call-but we can’t talk every night! We’re going to have to make it a special thing, not a matter-of-fact everyday thing. Wow, I don’t want you to spend all of your money on phone calls, I’d like for you to be able to save your money as much as possible so you’d be able to feel sufficiently prosperous for us to be married. Good heavens, I don’t want to have to wait 2 years or anything! I’d like to get married in Feb. or March-right after this semester is over. So please, let’s try & save money so we can get married. Jeez, I really want to be with you again, baby, I miss you terribly. It’s nice being engaged & everything, but I think I’m going to like the married part better…
Well, this is my fifth page, so I’ll close. I love you dearly, xxxx. Love, Janis. Ps. Start checking the numbers on the envelopes.”
This letter was written during a six month period in 1965 when Joplin had returned to Port Arthur, Texas, to live with her parents while she recovered from an amphetamine addiction. Joplin had met de Blanc during her first attempt to live in San Francisco and they continued their relationship after she returned home to Texas. This letter is most likely a part of a 64 letter archive of correspondence between the two that de Blanc’s ex-wife auctioned off in 2000, shortly before his death from cancer.
By January of 1966, Joplin and de Blanc had parted ways and she was on the way back to San Francisco, where she eventually joined Big Brother and the Holding Company. A mere four years after beginning that meteoric rise to fame, Joplin was dead at the age of 27 from a drug overdose. Reading of Joplin’s desire for marriage, one wonders what might have happened had she fulfilled that desire rather than becoming the iconic Rock n’ Roll legend that she is regarded as today. In fine condition, with moderate shade of uniform toning to the front of each page and light handling wear. Pre-certified Roger Epperson/REAL and RRAuction COA.
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