Romeo Elton autograph letters, 1838 & 1869, on Norse Exploration Newport Tower, Rhode Island, and Women’s Education.

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Two letters. The first, written in 1838, is from Romeo Elton (1817–1889) to the Danish antiquarian Carl Christian Rafn of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries in Copenhagen. Elton writes to accept his election to the Society and to comment on Rafn’s recent book Antiquitates Americanæ, which proposed Norse exploration of North America. In a full-page postscript, Elton discusses the Newport Tower in Rhode Island, then of uncertain origin, and suggests that documentary evidence and drawings might clarify whether it related to early Norse presence in the region. The letter reflects early American engagement with Scandinavian theories of pre-Columbian exploration.

The second letter, written in 1869, is addressed to the Boston publishers Gould & Lincoln and concerns the publication of a book by Elton’s late wife on mental philosophy and education. Elton describes the work as a practical guide to the faculties and emotions, intended especially for students and women’s colleges. He notes favorable reception among literary figures in England and emphasizes that proceeds from the book would support female education within their denomination.

Together, the letters document Elton’s interests in antiquarian debate, Rhode Island history, publishing, and women’s education in nineteenth-century America.

Price: $85.00