Description:

Walt Whitman
Camden, NJ, January 30, 1875
Walt Whitman Signed Check While Residing at his Brother's NJ Home Recovering from a Stroke
Signed check

Walt Whitman (1819- 1892) "Walt Whitman" Signed Check partially written in Whitman's hand for twenty-five dollars from the National State Bank of Camden NJ, January 30, 1875. 1p, measuring 6" x 3" beautifully matted with a plaque and black and white photo of Whitman, to a total measurement of 19" x 15". Expected age toning and blemishes to check. Ink haloing from water to upper right corner. Bold Signature! Overall, very good.

Whitman suffered a major, debilitating paralytic stroke on January 23, 1873, at age 53, which left him partially paralyzed on his left side and forced a move from Washington to Camden, New Jersey to stay with his brother. Despite declining health and partial paralysis, he continued writing, publishing, and receiving visitors like Oscar Wilde, until his death in 1892.

Walt Whitman is known as the "father of free verse," a revolutionary American poet famous for his epic collection Leaves of Grass, which celebrated democracy, nature, and the individual with unconventional, expansive free verse. Although best known for his poetry, he is also remembered for the care he gave to thousands of sick and injured soldiers in Washington, D.C., hospitals during the Civil War. In December of 1862, Whitman first traveled to the city from his home in Brooklyn, New York, to search through the hospital wards for his brother, George Washington Whitman, who the family believed had been seriously injured in the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Not finding his brother there, the forty-three-year-old poet traveled on to Virginia, where he was relieved to find an only slightly wounded George at the Union army camp at Falmouth—across the Rappahannock River from the site of the actual battle. Greatly affected by the suffering he witnessed firsthand, Whitman decided to establish residence in Washington to care for these sick and wounded soldiers.

For the next three years, he visited patients daily in various Civil War hospitals located throughout the city. Whitman spent hours listening to their stories, writing letters home to family members, scribbling down their needs in small notebooks he carried with him, and bringing them gifts such as fresh oranges and licorice candy. Some of Whitman's best known collections of poetry, including Drum Taps and Sequel to Drum Taps, as well as the poem "Oh Captain! My Captain!" were inspired by this cumulative experience.

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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  • Dimensions: 19" x 15"
  • Medium: Signed check

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February 18, 2026 10:00 AM EST
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000