OC to Sarah Codman 1883

Transcription of a letter from Ogden Codman Jr. to Sarah Bradlee Codman dated December 13, 1883. Codman often dispensed with punctuation, as reflected here. The quotation used in exhibition label is in BOLD. 

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96 Charles St            Dec 13 evg  

Dear Mama –  

You ask me in your letter / how I like my room. 

I like it so little that I have / taken another and am moving / in. 

I am going to No.15 Charles St. 

The reason I have not told you / of my moving was that I was / not sure that I should be able to / do so, and I did not want you / or any one to know how discontented / I was unless there was a reason- / able chance of my being / able to change. 

When I first came here / to 96 I understood I was to / have my breakfast in a little / room [illeg.] the front door / at a reasonable price.  

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After I had been here about / two months I was told I / could no longer have it / as it made too much work / I should have left then but / it was in the middle of October / and rents were still very high / so I could find no place when / I should have been better off / unless I paid very much / more, so I thought I would / wait and try and get / my meals out. 

I have found this very expensive / and very uncomfortable / I could dine out with some / one and do so now every / evening but for Breakfast / I could not manage / I could not afford to pay for a good one. / So I tried milk & buns   

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and all sorts of cheap / things but was very un / comfortable. 

Now to make a long story / short I have found a place / which has been inspected / by Uncle Charles and / found good, where I can / have a good breakfast in / my room for 50 cents every / day and lunch or dinner / if wanted. 

It is not furnished but / in one way or another / thanks to my last years / Xmas presents and to / Lincoln I have furnished it / I send you a place [?] and a / list of furniture showing / where and how I got it all / Bed linens & towels I got / from Lincoln 

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Mr. Swift wanted to get rid / of the shades and Carpets / The rooms have nice Brussels / Carpets rather worn but still / good  I bought them with / 25 $ !! After some bargaining / Mr. S. had the room last year & wanted fifty. 

The house agent in September / wanted 550 $ for the rooms / now I got them for 300 $ / but he asked me not to mention / it as it would prevent his / letting next year for so much / this is less than I pay this January   

I shall not be able to tell / all the relations of this so / you may hear all sorts of / stories however Uncle C. &  

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Cousin R. & Uncle Ben will / know. If any thing makes / this plan more expensive / than the others I am fully / determined to take the / entire amount out of my / own money when I am / of age. So you need not / feel worried. 

I don’t expect to have to. 

My eyes ache so I shall go / to bed and finish to morrow. 

Dec 22  This morning has taken / up all the spare time I had and / I am ashamed to see that this is / not gone yet. 

My eyes were all right this / next morning. 

I am now quite settled in / my new rooms and all is 

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satisfactory. 

Aunt Kitty has seen it and / will tell you about it in her / letter very likely. 

Elsie Cobb is engaged to / a Mr. Bowen. Oh I forgot I / told you about that. 

You know what a time I / had with Aunt F.A.S. about / dancing school [illeg.] it is all smoothed over.   

Aunt Henrietta has asked / me to spend the night / there Xmas but I don’t expect / to for it would be more / bother than its worth. / I am going out to Aunt [illeg.] / today.  

It has been snowing all / this week off and on 

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and the snow is getting / deep. 

My Parlor has my writing / desk (20 $) that I told you / of and the little shut up / table that used to be in / the dining room and another / table in it. There are / chairs Uncle Fred gave me / that have been fixed / and four of the green / nursery chairs. 

Fireplace the Grandfather / May Andirons / (Billiard Room) [illeg.] some I got in Salem / and got two hooks for shovel / & tongs 75 cents.   

Your and Papas photos from / library & my pictures on / the walls. 

The curtains are turkey 

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red  I got them when I was / in 96. And they do / here nicely. 

The Hubbells have several / beds of their own. [For?] I / have the white iron nursery / bed. 

I bought an old Bureau / in Salem for 5 dollars / and had it fixed for 3. / I also got a sort of table / so you see it has not / been very expensive. 

We found (Ellen – Martin’s wife – and I) only Table spoons & forks / of that plated stuff at Lincoln / So I had to get teaspoons / & knives  I only got ten of each / and they were quite cheap / You can use them up in / the kitchen if you dont    

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like them or I can pay for / them and keep them. / The Janitor wants me / to sell him the carpets when / I go so if you dont want / them I can get what I /paid for them. 

Oh! I got that bureau that / was in the trunk room / in. Its contents I put / half in one empty trunk / & the other half which was / pieces of chintz for curtains / in Blue Room etc in a / box that came from 34. / The sheets I took were marked / in ink S. F. Bradlee  I fancy / they were for the servants. / I also took little pillow / cases same mark. / I took some old worn Breakfast napkins / marked (B)  There were new  

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ones marked (C). 

I could only find one / table cloth for [the] little / shut up table. 

I shall have to buy one / so as to have two but I dont / believe that will cost much / If I have presents as I did last year or even [a] quarter as much I shall / be able to cover all my / purchases. So you / need not feel that I am / being extravagant. 

You can consider my room / in your future Boston house / as furnished and should / there be an extra little / room I can make a nice / little sitting room out of it. 

But I suppose Papa will scorn my furniture 

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[two sketches: a bureau and a dressing table] 

These are supposed to be the / bureau and dressing table / I hope you wont think of / their resemblance to the / old [“fourneau”?] prevents the / latter from having any / claims to good looks. / The brasses on the D.T. are very handsome. / I will send you a better / sketch of it some time. / The legs are much larger in proportion. 

[two sketches: an arm chair and side chair] 

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I am due at school soon / so I will stop. 

I hope you will have a / merry Xmas 

But I fancy the children / will enjoy it here better / next year. 

Your Affect, Son 

Ogden. 

Bureau is very thick / veneer mahogany / with solid “ [mahogany] legs / Dressing table is / solid all but top / and is 150 years old / at very least 

I have a glimpse of the Common from my bed room and of the / Public Garden from my parlor.