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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: March 10, 1874
Text: Vassar, March 10, 1874. Dear Mother, Your letter came yesterday, and I will write now so you can get it as soon as may be. About the black silk. I do not believe it would take any 21 yards, but at any rate it would be a very expensive dress and would probably cost more than sixty dollars, including making, trimming, express, going to town so then I should not like to attend to the making of such a dress all myself, especiallywith a new dressmaker. So I agree with you that it would be better...
Show moreVassar, March 10, 1874. Dear Mother, Your letter came yesterday, and I will write now so you can get it as soon as may be. About the black silk. I do not believe it would take any 21 yards, but at any rate it would be a very expensive dress and would probably cost more than sixty dollars, including making, trimming, express, going to town so then I should not like to attend to the making of such a dress all myself, especiallywith a new dressmaker. So I agree with you that it would be better to wait till next fall, at any rate. Then it would be a new thing for next year and not have been tumbled around so much But about a [brttliaatfae.] Even if it were a very nice one, it would still be only an alpaca, and they look so rusty and horrid after the very first, that I do not think it would be best to get such a thing. Would a thin summer silk be very expensive? I thought the waist could be bought for $ 1. a yard.I wish I could be there and look myself. If a cheap silk, not a light bright-colored one, could be bought for a little more than a nice brilliantine, I think it would be by all means the best. Perhaps a black with just a little white, or something dark. I suppose you will look Saturday. If you do not see just what you want, or do not know to choose, send me some patterns, and tell me what a dress from each would cost. I don't want anything that is bright-colored or in a large figure or plaid. About a hernani. Have you done anything withthe one you bought last summer for you? If not, why could not that be made over for me? The oversklrt would do as it is. You could make the underskirt without much trouble and the waist could be made here like my black waist that I had made here. I suppose you would have to get a little more of the stuff, but it would not cost much and would be far less work than a new one. The skirt and waist could be made over my green silk. It would not be very nice, but it would do very well to wear here before long vacation, a little la thesummer, and then wear it out for an everyday dress in the fall. It would not hurt the green silk any for nicer one, and it would save money for the present. Think and tell me. Than for a hat. Seems to me the one I wore last summer will do very well for summer, so I'd rather have a pretty one this spring early. I have been looking at my black sacque, and I guess that if you send half a yard of fringe that will do for now, and then if I want to trim it with lace next fall, I can see about it in the summer. When you happen to think of it, send me abook of Butterick's patterns? also Mrs. Harris' address. Write me as soon as you can about all the things I asked. This thread is twice as long as the final is deep. I will wait till Monday before saying anything to the dressmaker. I think perhaps even a thin silk would look better as a basque waist. What do you think? Eva M. Tappan
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Descriptor(s): Bielat, Isabel, Ditkoff, Andrea

Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: February 28, 1874
Text: Vassar, Feb. 28, 1874. Dear Mother, Yours came yesterday. I have written Mary tolling her that it will not be possible for me to come vacation, however much I should like it, because of the expense of it and because after refusing Ella's invitation I could not possibly accept another to Providence without hurting her feelings. I am sure I do not know what to say about clothes. Somehow there is that same bother every summer. And then another thing, I think it quite possible that I mayhave...
Show moreVassar, Feb. 28, 1874. Dear Mother, Yours came yesterday. I have written Mary tolling her that it will not be possible for me to come vacation, however much I should like it, because of the expense of it and because after refusing Ella's invitation I could not possibly accept another to Providence without hurting her feelings. I am sure I do not know what to say about clothes. Somehow there is that same bother every summer. And then another thing, I think it quite possible that I mayhave another imitation to Waterbury, not from Law, but perhaps from Kate Maltby. I don't know, and it is rather absurd to say anything about it when I am not certain, but I know Kate would like me to come and I rather think she means to ask me. So I want to take that into account, if I should go there what clothes would be best. Vacation comes in four or five weeks. If I should go there, I'd rather have something good to wear there if not so much in the summer. What do you think, about a dress I mean and a hat for spring? I thought I'd tell you now so you could be thinking. Perhaps thewaist of a dress could be made here better than in Providence. I think this woman's prices are not very high. She charged $ 1.75 for making my black waist. I don't know whether Ella really expects me to go home with her or not. She speaks of it as if I were going, but I have told her several times that I did not think it would be possible for me to come. I have begun a little crocheted sack for Anna's baby. I don't know when I shall get it done. There is so little spare time here. Jennie Titus says she is coming to Vassar. It is so funny, for two weeks or more I have had very few letters, until last Saturday; but I will then have had twelve. So queer! All the people that I only write to once in an age seemed to come together in one week. Lou Kellogg's mother has not grown strong at all, and now they are planning to take her to Aiken S.C. to spend the winter. Mr. K. and two or three of the children are going. Lou was planning to go there, so far, in the spring vacation, but now she means to go home next week to stay over Sunday. Wish I had the extra cash that she has. I did indulge a little in flowers the other day. Kate had been away and I wanted her room to look bright and pleasant when she came back, soI went to the hothouse for some flowers. Such a funny old man as keeps it! He has not nearly as much custom as the others in P. so perhaps that was why he was so generous. I told him 30 cents worth. I thought that would only buy a few little sprays, but he gave me scarlet geranium, violets, fuchsias, calla lilies, and lots of flowers that I don't know the names of. Such a quantity! There were three or four vases full when I had arranged them. I believe this is the second time in my life that I ever bought flowers. Dr. Storrs of Brooklyn lectured and preached here this week. He was simply wonderful. He used no notes, but his work was as finished and polished as if every word had been written. His delivery was very fine, finer than I ever heard before. Bishop Huntington of Central New York lectures here tonight and will preach tomorrow. They say he is very fine. Dr. Webster is very popular. She is so different from Dr. Avery. I have quite a hard cold, the first I've had this winter, and yesterday I asked her to excuse me from walking. She did so without a word. You can't appreciate it as we here do who have known Dr. Avery's way. Dr. Avery would never excuse anyone fromwalking on account of a cold, no matter what the weather was, and yesterday was very pleasant. I think a [heraani] would be pretty with the waist made like a shirt waist only without plaits and sticking out under the belt in points or something. Either that way or a basque would be pretty. Joe sent the check and I paid the bill. I will enclose the receipt. What is coming for spring hats? Don't you think my last spring's sacque, if trimmed with lace would be pretty for this spring? Seems to me it would do very well. I have a horrid cold, but I have been taking aconite and hot baths to an unlimited extent, and I guess it will be better soon. It is about dinner time. Write soon. Eva M. Tappan I had a long letter from Mrs. Harris the other day. I will send it in this and put the receipt in the next one. Send It back when you have read it.
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: April 10, 1874
Text: Vassar, April 10. 1874 Dear Mother, I hope you will receive my postal tomorrow telling of the safe arrival of the box. I have an idea about the hat. I shall take the red berries and black feathers from my lace hat and put them on this. I think it will be pretty. Perhaps you'd better send me the black feathers that I sent home the other day. I guess you'd better send them. The waist, I think, can be made as a basque just as well if you can send enough of the silk to line thepart of...
Show moreVassar, April 10. 1874 Dear Mother, I hope you will receive my postal tomorrow telling of the safe arrival of the box. I have an idea about the hat. I shall take the red berries and black feathers from my lace hat and put them on this. I think it will be pretty. Perhaps you'd better send me the black feathers that I sent home the other day. I guess you'd better send them. The waist, I think, can be made as a basque just as well if you can send enough of the silk to line thepart of it that is below the belt. Mrs. Foster is very good at such work. I saw a lovely little walking jacket that she had made of a girl's brother's old jacket. Send the silk and I think she can fix it so, or some way that will be prettier than just a round waist. The little pocket book is a beauty and such a convenient size, both for funds and pockets. The eatables will speak for themselves. I assure you they are appreciated. On Wednesday a lot of us went to Cedar Ridge for flowers. I got up the party. Everybody laughed at me, even thegirls who were going, for supposing that flowers could be found so early. I insisted that it was time and we went. The Ridge was lovely. High cliffs were covered with bright green moss. I found flowers enough to make three saucer bouquets. I carried one to Miss Sewell. I guess I have told you of her. She is librarian. She is the last of a large family who have all died of consumption. Last year her sister Lucy was here, and soon after the summer vacation she died. Mrs. Sewell is visiting here now and was in Miss S's roomwhen I took her the flowers. Mrs. S. is quite deaf, so when I went out, as I was going away I heard Miss S. say "She's smart, she's a Junior. She brought me the first spring flowers last year when Lucy was here." It was such a little thing but it was so nice to know that she remembered it. Saturday Wasn't it splendid in how yesterday afternoon a large box came for me from Waterbury. Inside were three cakes, oranges, lemons, sugar, chow-chow, jelly, sweet crackers, bananas,nuts, figs and everything nice. Wasn't it splendid in her to send it? I think it was so very nice. Everything came nicely and was very nice. Last night we had a "supper" just we four in the parlor. It was splendid, but ten o'clock "spreads" do not agree very well with my kind of sleep afterwards. Well, it is vacation and there's time enough to rest today. This morning I, or rather Anna Wilson, have been fixing my hat. I curled the feathers over, put them and the red berries on, and now I think it is verypretty. Hope I shall have a letter this noon. You need not send the feathers [fcc] There is enough without it. Eva M. Tappan. I had a letter from Mr. Lewis(?) the other day.
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: April 20, 1874
Text: Vassar, April 20, 1874 Dear Mother, Yours came this morn. The books came last Friday. What does it mean? Grandmother Bolton's money would not have bought more than one volume. How much were they? Did you get them? They were lovely, but they must have cost ever so much. Mr. [S ] sent a postal Thursday saying that he had forwarded 8 vol. Hawthorne's works byexpress. I could not imagine what he meant. Yesterday was such a lovely day. Some of us went to Cedar Ridge again for a walk. It...
Show moreVassar, April 20, 1874 Dear Mother, Yours came this morn. The books came last Friday. What does it mean? Grandmother Bolton's money would not have bought more than one volume. How much were they? Did you get them? They were lovely, but they must have cost ever so much. Mr. [S ] sent a postal Thursday saying that he had forwarded 8 vol. Hawthorne's works byexpress. I could not imagine what he meant. Yesterday was such a lovely day. Some of us went to Cedar Ridge again for a walk. It is a lovely place for Sunday afternoons, only rather too far. Some of the teachers were there too. We found quantities of hepaticas right along by the road without any climbing at all. Lou wants me to visit her next summer. It begins to be very pleasant here. The grass is growing green. I had a little stye in my eye Saturday, and I did not want to read any. Kate Maltby read myLogic lessons over to me, and another girl insisted upon reading Geology, although she does not have it herself. Wasn't it lovely of them? It is almost worth while to be a little sick here to see how very nice the girls are. I found a rock of fossils the other day, rather a rare thing here. We have, that is Kate and I, been in the cabinets looking up fossils. There is the fossil jaw of an ancient frog two feet or more each way. It is triangular In form. What an immense amount of workthat frog must have had. Rumor says that the riding school is to be made over and either the cabinets or the art gallery will be moved there next year to give more room in the main building. They will build houses for the profs, sometime. I only wish they would do it, so we could all have single rooms next year. Last year all the girls who drew single rooms gave them up if they felt wall enough to have a double, so I presume I may possibly get one that way, but it would be horrid to take a single roomfrom any girl although you know she did not care nearly so much about it as you did. $5. came in your last. The needlebook and lace came all right. I forgot to say anything about them. Hope Anna's baby will have eyes like Mr. Bowdish's. They are handsome. The silk came but she used some alpaca or something that she had. It is a sort of basque waist, cut up behind. It is trimmed with silk around the bottom and sleeves. She charged $2. for making and [found] silk and buttons. It is not very pretty but will do awhile very wall. I think she is very reasonable and she seems anxious to please. It is funny how much power the name, Vassar, has in town. All the stores are so anxious for the V.C. customer. Before vacation I had a pair of very old boots that I thought might be mended and do to wear on long walks. I took them to a shoe dealer in town. He looked at it half- contemptuously a minute saying something about "drawing the hole together" and it's being hardly worth fixing. Suddenly anan idea seemed to strike him. He started, and asked if we were from the college. We said yes. Thea he took up the hoot, said he presumed the other was good and he could fix this very nicely. He told me how he meant to do it and how well it would look. I said I wanted it as soon as possible. He said his man would be in soon and he should go to work right away and might have it in half an hour. I came in in twenty minutes, and it was mended very nicely. Besides he only charged half what others would. I thought something was up. I was right. He said "Do you buy your boots of Gilder sleeve?" Anna said yes. (G. comesto the college twice a month with a stock of boots, so all the girls buy of him.) Then he ran down G. fearfully, said he was no shoemaker, had no idea how to select shoes; If we would come to him he would make it worth our while. I priced some of his boots and they did seem cheap. But it is funny how they work for Vassar custom. Why a dealer in P. will run all over town for half a yard of cambric for a Vassar girl. They are paid for it too, for if one goes to a place, many are sure to follow and few of the girls mind what price they pay. Do go to Mrs. Blaisdell's If you possibly can. Take some little sewing with you let the rest wait. I can sew when Icome home in the summer. I don't see what will be best for next summer, to do and go, I mean. It would be expensive to stay in Prov. nearly as much so as to board away in some places. I don't know whether Ed is teaching or not. Presume so. I wrote him the other day, and directed it to Glover. He said in his last he had net heard from you for a long time. On the other side is a plan of my room and parlor. Eva M. Tappan [Back of last sheet of original letter contains plan of Parlor 67]
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: March 16, 1874
Text: Vassar, March 16. (1874?) Dear Mother, Yours has just come. I have not heard from Stewart's yet. Suppose I shall tomorrow. I am not sure that I understand what you meant by the last letter. things were run together so. Stewart advertises striped silks at .75 per yard. That would make the dress come to 16.50 If he sends me nothing less than .75 what shall I do? I don't think foulard's are very pretty. You have looked in Providence and there is nothing there anyway.If | can find...
Show moreVassar, March 16. (1874?) Dear Mother, Yours has just come. I have not heard from Stewart's yet. Suppose I shall tomorrow. I am not sure that I understand what you meant by the last letter. things were run together so. Stewart advertises striped silks at .75 per yard. That would make the dress come to 16.50 If he sends me nothing less than .75 what shall I do? I don't think foulard's are very pretty. You have looked in Providence and there is nothing there anyway.If | can find nothing less than .75 in town and Stewart sends me nothing else, what shall I do? Write so I can get it Friday or sooner and send the money, if you can. If S. sends patterns of anything pretty, I shall send to him without delay, [so if you c] E. M. Tappan.
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: June 7, 1874
Text: Vassar, June 7, 1874. Dear Mother, Kate Maltby has gone to town and left me her room, so I will improve it by writing you now. It is very warm. Yesterday we had elections in things. I am one of a committee of three to get up entertainments in Alpha every week. It will be lots of work, but I am bound to bring the chapter up if it is a possible thing. I could have been critic again If I had chosen, but I had it understood beforehand that I would not accept it.Our Senior corridor for next year...
Show moreVassar, June 7, 1874. Dear Mother, Kate Maltby has gone to town and left me her room, so I will improve it by writing you now. It is very warm. Yesterday we had elections in things. I am one of a committee of three to get up entertainments in Alpha every week. It will be lots of work, but I am bound to bring the chapter up if it is a possible thing. I could have been critic again If I had chosen, but I had it understood beforehand that I would not accept it.Our Senior corridor for next year is to be the 3rd south. I am sorry It Is so high up, but then it is so sunny that it will make up. We drew lots for choices. There were 44 of us. With my usual poor luck, I drew 42. Wasn't it horrid? However it all came out well. Nina drew 1, [so] She said she would rather room with me than have a single room, so we chose the corner room. It is half as large again as any other "double-outside", and, has two lovely windows, one south and one east. I think they will let as have two single beds if we will buy one. How much are little single beds? Have you any idea?Isn't it funny that Mary Taylor is in my parlor? Don't say I shall like her, though. The other two girls are,— well one is a "stick," good natured and imbecile. The other will, I fancy, need "judicious snubbing." She is very fond of trying to strike up sudden intimacies with people. I am so glad I have so nice a room, and more glad yet that the girls all seemed so pleased that I had it. Kate and Lou have that lovely parlor for two that I told you of last year. It is a splendid room and they will enjoy it lots. Your letter came Saturday noon. I hope one will come tomorrow or Tuesday tellingwhat to do about the things I asked you. I think I will have my Hawthornes here. Where shall I send the box and when? or do you think a cheap trunk better? I want to know soon. As to the old clothes, It is more bother to get them to New Hampshire than they are worth, and I doubt whether there is anything that would do for Mabel. I wonder if that overskirt of my brown dress would make her anything. There would be enough for a dress if it would be pretty. How big is she. Where could a box be sent? It would not be nice to have it farfrom Washington St. for I dare say some things want to be fixed, and then it would not be nice about packing in the fall. Jennie Titus seems sure of coming [back] here next year. I am glad she is. It will be nice to have someone from Prov. for the pleasant side, and it is hardly possible for her to annoy me even if she wished. Of course she will not wish, for aside from all other motives, it is a pretty nice thing for a new girl to have a senior for a friend. Miss Terry sent for me the other day to ask if I wished for aid next year. I did not go until after her office hour, but she was actually polite andacted something as a lady would. She asked if you were teaching now, what kind of a school it was. Asked if I was not an only child, said you must be lonesome and that it would be very nice for us to be together. It was nothing more than any lady would have said but it was such a shock to find her polite that I have not recovered yet from it. I must stop and go to call on Miss Woodman before the bell rings. Eva M. Tappaa
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Creator: Tappan, Eva March
Date: April 28, 1874
Text: Vassar, April 28, 1874. Dear Mother, The express package came [yest] Saturday. I guess I can finish the dress when the Founder's Day excitement is over I suppose you did not receive my letters and the sacque for Minnie Gavitt last week, as they were detained at College until Saturday noon. You know we put our letters through narrow slits in the wall, one on each corridor, opening into a sort of a perpendicular tunnel going down into the office. By some means or other this passage...
Show moreVassar, April 28, 1874. Dear Mother, The express package came [yest] Saturday. I guess I can finish the dress when the Founder's Day excitement is over I suppose you did not receive my letters and the sacque for Minnie Gavitt last week, as they were detained at College until Saturday noon. You know we put our letters through narrow slits in the wall, one on each corridor, opening into a sort of a perpendicular tunnel going down into the office. By some means or other this passage wasstopped up on Tuesday between the 2nd and 3rd corridors, and it was not found out until Saturday. Such a thing never happened before and I certainly hope it never will again. About 400 letters ware detained. It was announced Saturday at tea and I guess the telegraph had to work that night. The powers that be say no one was to blame but it seems to me there must have bean a remarkable amount of ignorance somewhere, if the people in the office did not discover for three days that the mail was little more than half as large as usual. The Mis. came out Saturday. People say it is the best number this year. I will send Mrs. Blaisdell a copy now and then send yours when you get home again. By the way, I want Mrs. Harris' address as soon as can be. I forgot to copy it from her letter, and I have had eight pages waiting a week. I have no copies of "Trig." Only a few were printed, one or two hundred and they were disposed of long ago. Thank May for her cushion. It Is very pretty. Tomorrow is Founder's Day. Of course the College will be crowded. For a week or two the girls have been making evergreens to trim the corridors. These halls are so immense that it is avast amount of work to trim them and costs any amount from $30. up. Edward Everett Hale is to be the orator of the day. I am very glad to have a chance to hear him. I am very much afraid Eva Bums will not come. Her invitation was among the letters that were detained so long. Of course we have a holiday tomorrow, and the girls are trying to get another for Thursday. I certainly hope success will come. Work for the next year's Mis. will be rather harder than this year. Kate wants me to take the exchange department. It makes verylittle show, but it is an immense amount of work, rendering it necessary to read, or at least skim over, all the college papers and magazines on our exchange list, which is very long. I have a pile of them for April only, and that is a foot high now. What will it be in two months more? It will take lots of time but be much nicer than this year, although of course, the responsibility of Kate Mc Bain and myself will be far heavier than this year, as the three new eds. know nothing about it. I wonder if I have ever told you aboutMiss Woodman. - She is one of the Lewiston girls. She is six or seven years elder than I am, but somehow I have seen a great deal of her. She knows Mr. Bowen well. Well in vacation I had quite a bad sore throat for a day or two. Miss W. got news of it and came down with a plate, on which was a glass of salt and water accompanied by a spoon. On the glass was a sheet of very white paper. She asked if I had any flannel. I said yes, and as she seemed rather to doubt my veracity, or at best - certainty, I found some and showed it to her. She said that washalf cotton. Pretty soon she came down again with a great piece of very woolly flannel. That was the last of it then, except that in class she kept the windows shut for a day or two. Sunday night I went to call on her. She said she had a sore throat herself a little while ago and found that she needed much more flannel than she gave me, so she had been worrying ever since about, it, fearing that I wore the flannel that night and took more cold. I assured her that it had been sufficient, said there was so much of it that my neck felt all night as if it had been broken and wassplintered up with a very stiff splint. She seemed comforted after a while. Wasn't it queer and nice of her? It almost pays to be a little sick here, the girls are so kind. I must stop so this can go in this mail. Write. Eva M. Tappan. Tell May a cap would wear her hair off. Tell her to braid it in one loose braid and not tie the end tightly. That will be much better. E.
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