177

Sketch of St. John's in Newfoundland and written account of his life there

Rockwell Kent

Two Autograph Manuscripts, one Signed and with a small ink drawing,

rough drafts of his account of the year he lived in Newfoundland (eventually entitled "A Tragedy of Newfoundland" [1914; revised 1961]), each beginning, "Silent, still sleeping at early dawn lay a little harbour town of New Foundland. . . ." The first, 6 consecutive pages of text, written on recto and verso, with numerous deletions and some insertions. The second, 11 consecutive pages of text in a slightly neater hand with fewer corrections, written mostly on rectos. The sketch, showing a building and distant mountains in St. John's, Newfoundland, drawn at head of first page of first manuscript, 2½x5 inches. Together 16¼ pages, 4to; horizontal folds.

St. John's, Newfoundland, February 1914.

  • Notes: With--Typescript, unsigned, entitled "The Tragedy of March the Thirty-First," clearly a draft of "A Tragedy of Newfoundland" beginning, "'Dearest,' writes my sweetheart from a thousand miles away, 'It is dreadful that you must be there at this season . . .'." 10½ pages, tall 4to, onionskin paper; horizontal folds. [St. John's], 6 April 1914.

    This essay is apparently unpublished, but late in his life, Kent may have considered publishing it, as he began revising it in 1961. The revised typescript, entitled "A Tragedy of Newfoundland," is housed at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art (Series 2: Writings, 1906-1978, undated).
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April 9, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
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