The Humanym archive
Love
Courtship, marriage, and the letters people wrote when they could not be together.
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1653
Dorothy Osborne to William Temple, 1653
Dorothy Osborne · autumn 1653
Osborne writes to William Temple about a rumored bad marriage and reflects on how little sense most people bring to choosing a spouse.
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1796
Napoleon Bonaparte to Joséphine de Beauharnais, 1796
Napoleon Bonaparte · 14 March 1796 · Chanceaux Post House · also Far from home
Days into his first campaign as an army commander, and only weeks after their wedding, Napoleon writes to his new wife Josephine that every moment away from her is unbearable.
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1819
John Keats to Fanny Brawne, 1819
John Keats · 8 July 1819
Keats, away from London, writes Fanny Brawne an intense love letter describing how completely she has taken over his thoughts.
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1845
Robert Browning to Elizabeth Barrett, 1845
Robert Browning · 10 January 1845 · New Cross, Hatcham, Surrey
After reading her poems, Robert Browning writes to Elizabeth Barrett for the first time, telling her he loves both her work and her.
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1845
Elizabeth Barrett to Robert Browning, 1845
Elizabeth Barrett · 11 January 1845 · 50 Wimpole Street
Barrett writes back to Browning the next day, moved that a poet she admires has praised her work so warmly.
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1861
Sullivan Ballou to Sarah Ballou, 1861
Sullivan Ballou · 14 July 1861 · Camp Clark, Washington, D.C.
Anticipating he may not survive the coming battle, Ballou writes his wife a farewell letter about his love for her and his duty to his country.