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Sylvia Plath, autograph letter signed, to her parents-in-law (Edith and William Hughes), describing Sylvia and Ted's New Year's Eve fancy dress with Ted as the wolf and her as Red Riding Hood. Dated Tuesday December 30 (1958) "Dear Ted's mother & dad… One more day of the old year Ted has just finished making himself a remarkable wolf-mask for the New Year's Eve masquerade tomorrow night: I find the mask quite frightening - it has slit eyes which Ted has filled with yellow - very realistic, with room for his mouth to show so he can speak. With the real fur it is incredibly lifelike. I am wearing an antique black dress & red cape for Red Riding Hood." With a pen and ink sketch by Plath of Ted Hughes wearing his wolf mask. Plath notes that "with his two poems about wolves in his second book and actually one line about 'making wolf-masks mouths Clamped well on to the world' …" , she refers to Hughes' second collection of poetry (Lupercal), suggesting the choice of mask was most suitable. In the context of the tragic direction their marriage would take, the costumes also constitute a disturbing portent. Wolves would continue to feature in Ted's imagination and poetic output, such as in Wolfwatching (1989). The New Year's party was held at the home of friends Stephen and Agatha Fassett. Plath refers to this letter in her journal entry for 28 December 1958, tellingly capturing both Ted's insight into her mind as well as her own mental uncertainty and bipolarity: "Ted read my signature on the letter to his parents as 'woe' instead of love. He was right, it looked surprising: the left hand knows not what the right writes." 1 page, folio (253 x 204mm), on pink paper; sent from 9 Willow Street, Boston, MA; 30 December 1958, small stain to the bottom of the page, a few other light stains, 58 added next to the date in another hand, identifying the year. Provenance: from Frieda Hughes, daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Seller Inventory # ABE-1698505157280
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