Charles W. Chesnutt to Frank H. Baer, 3 October 1922
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October 3, 1922.
Mr. Frank H. Baer,
Cleveland Chamber of Commerce,
City.
My dear Baer:
I have been rather busy since I was at your house, but I shall be probably through with your valentine material,1 at least the most of it, by the end of the week, and will return it to you probably next Sunday.
I had n't been able to see Mr. Clark,2 but I called him up on receipt of your letter, and he said he was going out of town that day and would return Thursday and get in touch with me right away. I will show him the valentines which you think would be suitable for illustrations, and leave with him those which he selects, if he is going to use them right away, and I will report to you the result of our interview.
I quite appreciate your desire to have your valentine matter returned to you as soon as possible, and I shall not keep it any longer than I have to.
Sincerely Yours, CWC/FLCorrespondent: Frank House Baer (1863–1940) was a White Clevelander. He was an agent for the Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad) railway company and then served on the Chamber of Commerce as transportation commissioner (1918–1937). An avid book collector, he was, like Chesnutt, a member of the Rowfant Club, and locally known for his collection of over 2,000 valentines written between 1720 and 1870. Portions were exhibited locally (and sometimes nationally) from the late 1890s into the 1920s. A joint book project with Chesnutt on the collection was apparently launched in 1922 but abandoned after 1924.
1. Chesnutt's joint book project with Frank H. Baer (1863–1940), a collectors' edition of Baer's collection of valentines, with commentary and transcriptions, was likely begun in 1922. The Rowfant Club was interested in publishing the book, working with local publisher Arthur H. Clark (1868–1951), another book collector and member of the club. It is not known why and when the project was abandoned; no correspondence after May 1923 refers to it, although the forthcoming book is still mentioned in the club's Year Book for 1923 (Cleveland: Rowfant, 1924), pp. 80-81, and in its printed invitation to a speech by Chesnutt on valentines on February 14, 1924, which included a display of material from Baer's collection. About 90 pages of notes, including copies of valentine poems and portions of commentary on the history of valentine cards and gifts are in the Charles Waddell Chesnutt Papers at the Western Reserve Historical Society. [back]
2. Arthur H. Clark (1868–1951) was a White publisher who was originally from England and had worked for several publishing companies before coming to Cleveland in the 1890s. Initially he worked as a specialist in rare books for Cleveland publisher Burrows Brothers, but then founded his own bookstore and publishing house, Arthur H. Clark Company, specializing in Americana and the history of the Western United States. Clark was an avid book collector and a member of the Rowfant Club, like Chesnutt and Frank H. Baer (1863–1940), whose joint book on valentines he was going to publish before the project was abandoned. [back]
