“The check and ‘heads’ came safely, and would have been
acknowledged sooner, but I hoped to write a longer letter, and
waited for a more encouraging mood, but none came.
“I wish I could sell them for you but an art man told Mr. Kirkwood
this was a poor city for such sales, the people being too poor. You
see they are just about recovering from the results of the civil
war. Then besides people want large showy things. In other words,
they want big things for little money. They are beautiful but if I
had to buy them I would too want something larger.
“I am sorry you sent anything you put so much work on. I thought I
made myself plain. I wanted something big too. Even a landscape
thrown roughly on. There would have been likely no visitor here to
have told good work, and if asked I would have said it was sent me
by a young student. But if I should get a chance to sell, you know
how glad I shall be. I am quite sure if Whitney, Morgan, Carnegie
or any of those great rich men were properly approached they would
give perhaps thousands of dollars for the original copy of the
dome, alone. I should think it would be a great thing for them to
have in their private gallery. In the meantime why don’t you try a
letter to these men?”