Comment on 2.[??].1794
It is remarkable that Thorvaldsen here uses the familiar address “du” to Sophie Amalie Kurtzhals, while elsewhere in the letter he uses the formal “De”. This slip of the tongue may betray a wish, or maybe it rather reflects a difference between spoken and written language.
The same “mistake” is, interestingly enough, found in Kurtzhals’ entry of 5.6.1796 in Thorvaldsen’s album: “…Then travel far, my blessing will follow dem (formal) but no matter how far dig (familiar) go then never forget deres (formal) friends…”.
See also the list of persons who use the familiar pronoun when addressing Thorvaldsen in the documents of the Archive: On Familiar Terms with Thorvaldsen.
Last updated 09.01.2018