Typed copy of a portion of an autograph letter : Denmark Hill, to W.H. Harrison, 1862 Nov. 10.

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Typed copy of a portion of an autograph letter : Denmark Hill, to W.H. Harrison, 1862 Nov. 10.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/270912158

Saying that yesterday when Mr. Harrison asked whether he was drinking Mr. Ruskin's oldest port, and was told he was not, "I was a little afraid ... you did not feel yourself sufficiently honoured--now the wine you had, 9 years in the bottle, is the finest of the two though the other is 32 years old--" The incident led him to think of how his talk, yesterday, might have created "erroneous impressions ... of luxury indulged in at Denmark Hill having sherry at £300 & £600 a Butt & what affronts. I might unwittingly give by not producing them always to my friends"--The fact is this: "none of these very old & costly wines would be in my house, were they not a part of the apparatus of my business--I daresay you & Mr. Runciman carried away the notion that I bought the Octave of £300 sherry for my own & my friends drinking. Not so--" These pints of precious wine are used "when any of our Country correspondents come to town & are curious to know what such costly sherry can taste like. --offer to send a pint to their Hotel & so though I have paid my Xeres House for it, nearly the whole goes from me in presents to my customers--" The bottle from which Mr. Harrison drank his half glass "has stood within my reach these six months untouched--I give it in thimblefuls being strong as brandy & besides I can no more let bottles of it be emptied at my Table than I can let sample bottles be emptied at Billiter Street--The sherry you had at will yesterday was the Queen's sherry & 1848 claret at 10/6 a bottle. Mr Domecq has driven Champagne off my Table not allowing it to be a wine at all to Mrs. Ruskin's satisfaction as she thinks it an improper wine for the private Table of the middle classes. I am my dear Sir ... "' [P.S.] I almost wish you would let this letter go on to C. Runciman Esqr ... [his address].

1 item.

Pierpont Morgan Library.

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SNAC Resource ID: 7227655

Related Entities

There are 3 Entities related to this resource.

Ruskin, John James

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65q52qr (person)

Father of John Ruskin. From the description of Autograph letter signed : London , to Catherine Ruskin, 1810 Feb. 9. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 755812129 From the description of Autograph letter signed : London, to Mrs.Thomas Richmond, 1858 June 24. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 746219605 From the description of Autograph letter signed : London, to John Thomas Ruskin, 1808 Feb. 29. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 755734801 From the description of Autogr...

Harrison, William H.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cf9x09 (person)

Resident of Republic, Seneca County, Ohio. From the description of William H. Harrison papers, 1856-1868. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 80525874 ...

Millais, Euphemia Chalmers Gray, Lady, 1828-1897

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6154v6d (person)

Euphemia Chalmers Gray, called Effie or Phemy, was born in Bowerswell House, Perth, and went to Avondale School, near Statford-on-Avon. She married the art critic John Ruskin on 10 April 1848; the marriage was annulled on 15 July 1854; she married John Everett Millais on 3 July 1855. She and Millais had eight children. From the description of Bowerswell papers, 1827-1944 1827-1890. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270905842 ...