Meeting Sonia on a date: 18 September 1925

Lovecraft's stories are immortal. He was very mortal. I do try to bring to life those days of 80 or more years ago by using illustartions. I am a believer in sitz im leben - that the historicity of events in a person's life are influenced by the times, cultural milieu, and geographical region in which they are immersed. Lovecraft's writings were both cosmic and personal. He is the hero or observer in nearly everyone one of his stories.

Here we have a romantic moment with he and Sonia - as far as it went with HPL !!

^St. Regis Hotel, circa 1925^

^Lon Chaney Sr. in the classic 1925 horror movie Phantom of the Opera^

^St Regis, circa 1925, another view^
^Ephemera from St Regis^
circa 1920's
'HOTEL ST-REGIS
FIFTH AVENUE AT FIFTY-FIFTH STREET
NEW YORK
PHONE PL3-4500'
*****

Lovecraft received a phone call from Sonia to meet her. She was in town for a brief visit.

"About 11 the telephnone rang to announce SH's arrival in town for the very briefest of trips - return being at 1 pm the nexy day - & I proceeded to change into my good suit & shoes (& newly blocked felt hat) to meet her at Budry's Restauraunt at 50th Street ... The dinner was excellent & after it SH attended to some business whilst I went down to 14th Street to see Kirk ... {to tell him he could ne keep appointment} ... since it seemed most proper to devote the day to SH, it being her only one here this month."

"... as the time approached for me to meet SH at 5th Ave. & 57th St. ... I accom panied her on a walk towards Time Square, in which we studied theatre facades with a view of the evening's entertainment, We at length chose the new wierd cinema, "The Phantom of the Opera," for which we obtained 1st Bacony tickets.

"We now proceeded to the Grand Central to get SH's valise, checked it at the Hotel Astor near the theatre, & walked some more before the opening of the performance at 8:30.

...

"At 10:30 i was over, & having obtained the luggage at the Astor, we proceeded to the St. Regis ... for supper. I ordered Welsh rarebit, hoping it might cooperate with the terror-cinema & give me a nightmare of literary value - though it didn't."

From letter on p. 194 of Lettters from New York, ed. Joshi, 2005