From Croswell Bowen to Carl Carmer, 1938

Croswell Bowen, Self-Portrait, 1938-1939     

Carl Carmer and Shad Fishermen, Croswell Bowen, 1938

In 1938, Croswell Bowen wrote a series of letters to Carl Carmer, full of history, anecdote and humor. Carmer incorporated some of this material into his classic The Hudson. The originals of these letters are housed with Carmer's papers at NYSHA's Library in Cooperstown, New York. Carbon copies may be found in Croswell Bowen's papers at the Beinecke Library of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, All are copyright The Estate of Croswell Bowen.        

I have employed optical character recognition to prepare these letters for electronic publication on the 72nd Anniversary of their creation. I'll begin March 9, with Dad's unforgettable telling of the gallant Quaker, Mehitabel Wing and her rebellious husband William Prendergast!