Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
16 Dec 1894
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Object Detail
Date
16 Dec 1894
Transcript
Cranmore Lodge Sunday 16th 94
My dearest Sissie
Mother has the only available ink so I am reduced to pencil. My wishes for your birthday would have looked better in ink, tho’ not more sincere than in pencil. I am sending you a tea cosy cover by Bea Ashcroft. She is going to ring you up when she gets home which will be before Christmas. She stayed a few days with us and then went on to Alice McGowan. Alice’s treasured Emma has given her notice & is going this week leaving her in the lurch in the most selfish manner. Miss McGowan is with her so she won’t be altogether without help. May and I went up to see them the other night and met a very tall young man whom Alice proudly introduced as “her nephew”.
The baby is getting much fatter but not prettier. I don’t think Alice amuses it half enough. May spent the evening developing its latent playing powers and it showed great intelligence much to Alice’s surprise. May said she didn’t think Alice ever did anything else but kiss it on its soft little brain and call it “ducky”. I haven’t been out at all since you left tho’ certainly there has been nothing to go to. Father has had a letter from Aunt Bella (which I haven’t seen or I could have given you more definite information) in which she says there is a lady who is writing an article on the N.Z. lady artists for an English magazine and she wants some [information] as to your career etc. This lady (name unknown) got Miss Stoddard to write to Aunt Bella. Father at once sent off all particulars as to your birth and art education and also I expect if the truth were known a biography of the whole family. I am not mentioned which is a nasty jar for me! . . . . [Fragment]
My dearest Sissie
Mother has the only available ink so I am reduced to pencil. My wishes for your birthday would have looked better in ink, tho’ not more sincere than in pencil. I am sending you a tea cosy cover by Bea Ashcroft. She is going to ring you up when she gets home which will be before Christmas. She stayed a few days with us and then went on to Alice McGowan. Alice’s treasured Emma has given her notice & is going this week leaving her in the lurch in the most selfish manner. Miss McGowan is with her so she won’t be altogether without help. May and I went up to see them the other night and met a very tall young man whom Alice proudly introduced as “her nephew”.
The baby is getting much fatter but not prettier. I don’t think Alice amuses it half enough. May spent the evening developing its latent playing powers and it showed great intelligence much to Alice’s surprise. May said she didn’t think Alice ever did anything else but kiss it on its soft little brain and call it “ducky”. I haven’t been out at all since you left tho’ certainly there has been nothing to go to. Father has had a letter from Aunt Bella (which I haven’t seen or I could have given you more definite information) in which she says there is a lady who is writing an article on the N.Z. lady artists for an English magazine and she wants some [information] as to your career etc. This lady (name unknown) got Miss Stoddard to write to Aunt Bella. Father at once sent off all particulars as to your birth and art education and also I expect if the truth were known a biography of the whole family. I am not mentioned which is a nasty jar for me! . . . . [Fragment]
Pages
4 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-03
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-03.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199