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13 Walnut St
Boston
April 3/20

TAVERN CLUB
4 BOYLSTON PLACE

Dear Mrs Duveneck - 

I seldom look in the [[?]] box at the Tavern Club - for letters & yours of March 4 I have just found.-

Teddy Wendel asked me for the notes of what I said in regard to Frank Duveneck & I told him I had given them & Mr Abbott, the secretary of the Club- Some two weeks ago he told me he had got them from Mr Abbott & was sending them to you- I hope he has - I will [[?]] him up & also will ask Abbott to see that in some way you may have them-

Sincerely
Howard Walker


Howard Walker (over)


The only things I could tell about Frank Duveneck would be of the love & devotion of his "boys" - his constant kindness to them, & the general catholicity of his attitude towards all things- I was with him at the St Louis Exposition in 1904 & was a member of art juries several times, and the absolute friendly justice of his opinions was most unusual - I could say much in relation to the very exceptional qualities which he possessed- but anecdotes are few- One thing may be of interest- He told me once of the almost reverend feeling he had in making the figure upon the sarcophagus of his wife - and that one Sunday he entered her studio alone & worked with great emotion upon the face: when suddenly he realized that he had cut too much of the stone away & had ruined the work in the intensity of his effort- It said "In all my life I was never in such despair" - He sat & brooded over the ruin he had made, when his Italian workman came in & he told him that he had spoiled the statue - The Italian said nothing, took calipers & carefully measured the model & the stone, looked up & smiled, & said no Signor, your heart is better than your eye & hand - the face is right it is only that the rest of the statue has not been brought to it- You cannot imagine my relief said Duveneck