Fantastic ALS, one page both sides, 5.25 x 8.25, December 21, 1944. Letter to Patricia Newman discussing the realities of life in World War II–era America. In part: “It is good to hear from you again. In these days of trouble friends are dearer than ever before. Almanzo and I are well as could be expected for people of our age. There is nothing wrong with us except that we grow more tired as the Christmases pass by. I am glad that my family and the days of my girlhood are dear to you. Sister Carrie and I are the only ones now living of that happy family. She visited me for a month this fall and it seemed so strange we should both be old women. If we had not all departed so far from the teachings of our forefathers the world would not be in the awful mess it now is. And we do need, so badly, leaders of integrity and honor to bring us out of it. I am sorry but it looks dark to me ahead. I think it must be worse before it can be better, though I have no doubt of the ultimate triumph of the good…P. S. Pa’s fiddle is in Memorial Hall of the South Dakota Historical Society. Carrie, Rose and I gave it to the Society.” In fine condition, with central vertical and horizontal folds. Accompanied by a modern postcard of the fiddle referenced.
This is a nostalgic and wonderful letter by Wilder in which she contrasts the old-time frontier life in a pioneer family with the horrors of modernity as World War II raged abroad. However, the most interesting note comes in her postscript mentioning Pa's fiddle—an important relic from her childhood that appears frequently in the Little House series. Her father, Charles 'Pa' Ingalls, is thought to have bought the fiddle as a child and taught himself to play. The instrument accompanied the Ingalls family as they navigated pioneer life, through times good and bad, and came to symbolize the endurance of the family unit in a threatening frontier world. The Little House books are rich in musical references, with well over 100 songs embedded in the narratives, and Pa had a song for every occasion. A scarce Wilder letter with excellent content. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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