Brady Mathew



Mathew Brady Sends “a portrait of your husband … an excellent likeness … on exhibition in my Gallery … to show in a slight degree my appreciation of the genius of the original…”
Autograph Letter Signed “M.B. Brady,” two pages, 5” x 8”, front and verso. Printed letterhead “Brady’s National Portrait Gallery / 625 Pennsylvania Avenue, / Washington, D.C.,” December 22, 1878. [To Mrs. Townsend.] Light soiling, Fine condition. We cannot be 100% sure this is not a secretarial, thus offer this as a dictated letter.

In full, “It affords me great pleasure to send you a portrait of your husband. It is pronounced to be an excellent likeness by all who have seen it. It would have been sent on some time ago but has been on exhibition in my Gallery. It will reach you in time to be wreathed with evergreen appropriate to the festival of Christmas-time & to show in a slight degree my appreciation of the genius of the original. I hope to have a portrait of yourself as a companion picture whenever the opportunity occurs. Probably you may visit Washington this Winter & hoping to have the pleasure of seeing you & wishing yourself & Mr Townsend a happy Christmas & with many wishes to the little ones for their enjoyment of ‘Santa Claus.’ I am, My dear Madam, Very Respectively & truly yours, M.B. Brady.”

Famed Civil War photographer Mathew B. Brady suffered from poor eyesight and had an aversion to writing. Charles Hamilton in his pioneer work, “Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts” (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1961), states, “Nearly all of his letters were written and signed for him by secretaries.” Undoubtedly Brady’s words extolling the subject of one of his portraits; we are not certain it is in his hand.



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