LOLA FULLER¹Lola Fuller, born circa 1847 in New York, was an artist living in New York City in the late nineteenth century. Fuller spent several years in Europe and exhibited portraits in several New York galleries during her lifetime. Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Eagle-News, 13 January 1885; 1900 U.S. Census, New Jersey, Bergen County, 208A. TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS

New York[, N.Y.]²Fuller added that her address was “254 W. 21st St.” 31 Dec[ember] 1879.

HON. FRED. DOUGLASS

DEAR SIR:—

I am about to make a most extraordinary request of you and in all probability you will laugh at it; but remember, you are not to share your amusement or interest, or the lack of it, with any one, but keep this note and its
contents to yourself: for business is not interesting to parties unconcerned,

and this is a simple matter of business. By the time you have finished reading this you will remember me, so I will not begin by explanation to recall
myself to your memory. I am writing a novel. One of my characters is a
philosopher and the day that I met you and we had such a long conversation, you said many things which reminded me of the character which I
had outlined. I made up my mind a few days after, that if I could not go
to Washington this winter I would write you before I took up my writing
again and voila, I am doing it.

You spoke of Victor Hugo’s³Victor-Marie Hugo (1802–85) was born in Besançon, France, to Joseph-Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Sophie-Françoise Trébuchet. Hugo’s father was a high-ranking officer in the army, and the family traveled frequently throughout Europe during Hugo’s childhood. In 1818, Hugo’s parents legally separated, and he stayed in the care of his mother. Hugo began to pursue a literary career at a young age, receiving an award for his poetry at age fifteen. Two years later, he and his brothers Eugène and Abel founded a literary journal, Le Conservateur littéraire (The literary conservative), where Hugo published over one hundred articles and twenty poems during the journal’s two years of publication. (Many romantic writers were, somewhat paradoxically, royalist in politics.) Hugo’s first published volume of poetry, Odes et Poésies diverses (Odes and other poems), was so successful and celebratory of the French monarchy that King Louis XVII granted Hugo an annual subsidy. This allowed Hugo to marry his lover, Adèle Foucher. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Hugo published prolifically, but became disillusioned with the monarchy because of Charles X’s extreme conservatism. In 1831, Hugo published his popular novel Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). In 1848, Hugo was elected to the Assemblée Constituante (constitutional convention) of the Second French Republic. Hugo openly opposed the conservative Right and announced himself a liberal Republican in 1851. That same year, Hugo was forced to leave France following a political coup by Louis-Napoleon; Hugo and his family eventually settled in Guernsey, an island in the English Channel. While in exile, Hugo continued to write, publishing political tracts and satirical poems against Louis-Napoleon. In 1862, Hugo published his most famous novel, Les Misérables, to great success. Hugo returned to France in 1870, following the fall of the Second Empire, and was elected to the National Assembly in 1871 and to the Senate of Paris in 1876. A stroke in 1878 left him unable to write; however, he continued to be active in politics and was reelected to the Senate in 1882. David Falkayn, Guide to the Life, Times, and Works of Victor Hugo (Honolulu, 2001); Graham Robb, Victor Hugo: A Biography (New York, 1999); Laurence M. Porter, Victor Hugo (New York, 1999). works on that day. It has never been my
fortune to meet many Americans who cared for Hugo as I do myself.
Your analysis of his various works quite charmed me; and your inclination of mind and reasoning upon any subject upon which we touched is
quite in accord with the character which in my book I am endeavoring to
portray. Now such characters are rare. Of course I have only had glimpses
of them here and there: and although I have treasured up quite a number
of their words, and ideas, I could still have a great deal more before I have
all I want.

Will you do this for me:—put a sheet of fools-cap in some safe place
and for several weeks note down all the , which run through your mind . And when you think you have bestowed all
the attention you can share upon it, please send the paper to me. Perhaps
you will not do this; but if you will, I shall be more than obliged for it and
will make good use of it.

Now by this time you remember me and hoping you will grant my
request I am

Yours very truly

MISS LOLA FULLER—ARTIST

ALS: General Correspondence File, reel 3, frames 379R–80, FD Papers, DLC.