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"Death Masks" in The Lit James Merrill's poem "Death Masks" from an issue of the Lawrenceville publication The Lit. The poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by a man who sells death masks made from the faces of artists.
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Peter Tourville A photograph of Peter Tourville, James Merrill's friend from the early 1960s onward, who was "country-lean from outdoor labor, with a gravelly voice and easy laugh, [and] a stoner's squint[.]" Merrill purchased Tourville a small apple orchard, where the two of them spent many quiet weekends together. He is the subject of multi-part poem, "Peter."
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Lawrencevillle School class photograph A Lawrenceville School class photograph, with James Merrill in the second row on far right. Also pictured is Tony Harwood, in the top row, second from right.
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Portrait of James Merrill as a child A portrait of James Merrill as a child from the Mary Boatwright Collection of James Merrill Papers.
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Portraits of David Jackson and James Merrill Portraits of David Jackson and James Merrill by Larry Rivers, an artist, musician and filmmaker who was an early beneficiary of the Ingram Merrill Foundation.
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"Days of 1994" Various drafts of "Days of 1994," the fifth in James Merrill's "Days of" series, completing his homage to Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy. "Days of 1994" revolves around approaching death and what he will leave behind. Included here are five of a total 22 different versions.
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Water Street Water Street marks a turning point in James Merrill's writing; the book is "local and particular: it calls attention to where, and by implication how, the poet is living." Included here are the covers of two 1962 editions, with inscriptions and an inset poem, and the cover of a 1980 edition.
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The Country of a Thousand Years of Peace The Country of a Thousand Years of Peace, first published in 1959, contains poems written over an eight-year period, which "are a collection of symbols and epiphanies drawn from experience but set off from it in an ideal, timeless space, a Switzerland of the imagination." Here we include three book covers as well as collected clippings laid into the inscribed first edition copy donated to Washington University by James Merrill's mother, Hellen Plummer.
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October 8 & 10, 1979 Séances During the October 8 and 10, 1979 séances, Merrill finds out about and communicates with the recently deceased Elizabeth Bishop, an esteemed poet who influenced his own work and a close friend.
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Homemade Ouija board A homemade Ouija board, one of numerous boards James Merrill and David Jackson employed through the years for their séances. Merrill said they preferred these to the store-bought boards because they allowed for more room for clearer and faster transmission. They used a teacup as a planchette.
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James Merrill's baby shoes James Merrill's bronzed baby shoes.
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James Merrill's baby cup and spoon James Merrill's silver baby cup and spoon from Tiffany & Co.
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James Merrill's Baby Book James Merrill's baby book with birth announcement. Discussed in Merrill's memoir, A Different Person, the baby book contains the list of gifts Merrill received at birth, including stock shares, silver spoons, gold diaper pins, etc.
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James Merrill as a cadet James Merrill as a cadet. Merrill was designated for "limited service only" because of poor eyesight.
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National Book Award for Mirabell: Books of Number James Merrill's National Book Award for Mirabell: Books of Number. It was Merrill's second National Book Award win in 12 years. Merrill gave the prize money to Hubbell Pierce, inventor of the bat wallpaper at 107 Water Street where many séances took place.
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"Happy Days in Stonington" This photo album, entitled "Happy Days at Stonington," includes snapshots taken around James Merrill and David Jackson's home at 107 Water Street, along with colorful commentary.
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The Dancing Ladies Early artwork done by James Merrill. These cutouts of dancing ladies show a lifelong affinity toward drawing the female face and form, especially sophisticated, beautiful women, often in costume.
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Peter Hooten A photo of Peter Hooten, James Merrill's last partner. Their relationship started in 1983, when Hooten declared his love for Merrill "on Valentine's Eve," in Key West, Florida.
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Richard Howard Photo of Richard Howard, a fellow poet, "poetry reviewer and editor with an ornate prose style and caustic wit...Social and generous, with a healthy measure of amour propre." Howard was the dedicatee of "Lost in Translation."
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Voices from Sandover Video Script Cover and first 25 pages of the Voices from Sandover video script, final draft, with corrections. This was an expanded version of the dramatic reading/stage version. With Hooten's connections in the film industry, it was possible for "highly talented collaborators" to get involved but in the end the project failed to capture the "magical depth" of the original text, and never found an audience. Hooten played the angel Gabriel and Merrill played himself.