Description:

Melville Herman

Herman Melville Fascinated With Washington's Head, A Moby Dick Reference Comparing Queequeg to Washington

Single page autograph letter signed, on beige bifold stationery stock, 5" x 8". Dated "Pittsfield Feb: 1855", and signed by Herman Melville as "H Melville". Fine condition with strong, vibrant, contrasting ink.

A wonderful letter alluding to Melville's reference of George Washington's facial structures in his iconic novel, Moby Dick. Melville, who uses elaborate and intoxicating visual imagery in his literature, refers to the appearance of one of the character's, Queequeg, as that of "George Washington cannibalistically developed". This reference is made in Chapter 10 of Moby Dick, "A Bosom Friend". Melville's fascination with George Washington is reflected by the author's appreciation upon receiving an etching of Washington's head.

To fully appreciate the importance of this comparison, one needs to see the paragraph within Moby Dick in its entirety. Queequeg is described in the following manner:

“With much interest I sat watching him. Savage though he was, and hideously marred about the face—at least to my taste—his countenance yet had something in it which was by no means disagreeable. You cannot hide the soul. Through all his unearthly tattooings, I thought I saw the traces of a simple honest heart; and in his large, deep eyes, fiery black and bold, there seemed tokens of a spirit that would dare a thousand devils. And besides all this, there was a certain lofty bearing about the Pagan, which even his uncouthness could not altogether maim. He looked like a man who had never cringed and never had had a creditor. Whether it was, too, that his head being shaved, his forehead was drawn out in freer and brighter relief, and looked more expansive than it otherwise would, this I will not venture to decide; but certain it was his head was phrenologically an excellent one. It may seem ridiculous, but it reminded me of General Washington’s head, as seen in the popular busts of him. It had the same long regularly graded retreating slope from above the brows, which were likewise very projecting, like tow long promontories thickly wooded on top. Queequeg was George Washington cannibalistically developed.”

The lovely letter offered here is shown in full below, and also refers to another Melville publication, (possibly a reference to his first book, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life):

"Dear Sir,

Many thanks for your enclosed etching of Washington's head.- the book you refer to was published I think in 1846.

Yours,

H. Melville

Kenney Furlong Esq."


Collecting Melville's manuscripts or letters is just about impossible, and this example has several wonderful and important references to Melville's most important literary works!

Herman Melville was born in New York City in 1819. As a young man, he spent time in the merchant marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling ship in the South Seas. In 1846, he published his first novel, Typee, a romantic adventure based on his experiences in Polynesia. The book was a success and a sequel, Omoo, was published in 1847. Three more novels followed, with mixed critical and commercial results. Melville’s sixth book, Moby Dick, was first published in October 1851 in London, in three volumes titled The Whale, and then in the U.S. a month later. Melville had promised his publisher an adventure story similar to his popular earlier works, but instead, Moby Dick was a tragic epic, influenced in part by Melville’s friend and Pittsfield, Massachusetts neighbor, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

After Moby Dick‘s disappointing reception, Melville continued to produce novels, short stories ("Bartleby", etc.) and poetry, but writing wasn’t paying the bills. In 1865, he returned to New York to work as a customs inspector—-a job he held for 20 years.

Melville died in 1891, largely forgotten by the literary world. By the 1920s, scholars had rediscovered his work, particularly Moby Dick, which would eventually become a staple of high school reading lists across the United States.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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