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anything to their exhibition. I told them I did not intend to and when they asked me why, I answered that I did not like the conditions, especially the one which subjected my work to the chance of rejection by a committee of their appointment after having invited me to contribute. "Well" said their spokesman "dont all academies do that?" I told him that I was not aware that they had an academy in Springfield of sufficient standing to assume that attitude toward established artists. "Well" said he in an excited tone "We dont want your work on any other conditions." Very well" I replied you cant have my pictures on those terms" and they swept out. I dined in my studio and worked all evening. Wrote to Sara recounting the history of the day.

Thursday [[strikethrough]]November[[strikethrough]] December 6th 1883. Breakfasted in my studio and went to Dodds Express office to have my fight out. Showing my receipt the agent surrendered at discretion and sent my trunk to my room at once, only because he could not help himself. Worked all day, got my bed room cleaned and in order doing the whole thing myself except mopping up the floor. Mr. Cumming who crossed the St. Gothard pass with us fifteen years ago called with his niece to get some information about the Academy Schools. He lives in London. Dined at Purcells

Friday 7. Breakfasted at Purcells and went over to Calverts to report my arrival. Spent the day clearing the things out of my studio and taking them into by bedroom after wiping them carefully. Had the sash in my painting window made stronger and ground glass glass put in. Dined at Eastman Johnsons. Mrs. J & Ethel in a great hurry going out to dancing school. Society women have their hands full. Very tired and came to my room early.

Friday 8th Got window finished, studio cleaned, carpet down and pictures hung. A rainy day. Pell called. Is to go to Florida for the winter. Attended a trustees meeting at the Century. After the meeting met Moschelles an English artist who made a very pleasant impression upon me.

Sunday 9th Arranged my rooms. Calvert and I went to a concert in the New Metropolitan Opera House, which by the way, I think a chaste, beautiful design. Heard Valleria, Lablache, Mad. & Mlle. Trebelli (when I liked much for a rich smooth voice) Caporal, Novara, del Puente and Martelli who played a beautiful solo on the violincello. I thought of dear Gertrude who is always associated in my mind with music. Mlle. Lablache sang "Comin thro' the Rye" but not half so sweetly as Gertrude used to sing it.

Monday 10th All over the city up and down town doing a thousand things. Never saw the city more crowded, all the people out buying their Christmas presents, which was a part of my work today. A meeting of the Art Union board of Control. We were locked in on the 4th story and only got out by taking a pane of glass out of the door of the stairway. It was funny to see Beard crawl through. Eastman Johnson got through easily.

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-04-26 07:58:23 Alwina Valleria - singer Madame Trebelli ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-23 13:30:29