Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
29 May 1896
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Object Detail
Date
29 May 1896
Transcript
Cranmore Lodge May 29th 96
My dearest Sis
I should have written long ago to thank you for the beautiful pair of gloves you sent me. They fit me beautifully and will be very welcome a little later on when I have gone back to colours. I am still wearing black but I intend leaving it off in a few weeks. Mother has just made herself a velveteen blouse and looks most awfully nice in it. I am going to send home for a blue serge tailor made dress. The Spence’s are going to get it for me when I send.
Bert arrived today and is most enthusiastic about your and Will’s kindness to him. The duck eat extremely well tonight and Father offered up a humble prayer for it and another that the pheasants might be allowed to get sufficiently gamey before cooking. He spent last night at Mr Russells and Mother and I and the McGowans and Mr Ramsden went to an alpine lecture given by Mr Ross. Mr R. gave me a ticket and Mr Ramsden sent me another so we did it on the cheap. It was partly on account of the trip up the Remarkables and Willie and Mr Ramy [i.e. Ramsden?] figured largely on the screen tho’ the latter thought he didn’t appear half often enough. Some of Willie’s photographs were shown and were really beautiful and produced great applause. I would defy anyone to write decently with a pen like this and my initial sleeve links cut the paper so please excuse a rather untidy letter. News there is none, the Savage Club opens on Monday night, presidents Mesdames Sale & Stelling and R Webster.
Willie didn’t come up on the 24th after all. He is beginning to like Ingil very much. I fancy I. Rattray is the attraction, she has twice extended her ticket and has now taken out a new one. I have not seen Mrs Scott for a long time. Dr S. was up on Sunday and said she was still in bed and very stiff. She ought to go away from that damp university I am sure it has shown pretty plainly that it doesn’t agree with her. Mother has been down to see her and said she was very pleased at being asked to stand Godmother to the babs. Mrs Hoskins is feeling very sorry for her self but she has not much long now. I go up and see her as often as I can. Did you hear that Daisy Ross has lost her husband, and that she has gone out as a housekeeper. I am awfully sorry for her. Mrs Malcolm Ross used to hear from her and her life seemed such a congenial and a happy one and it does seem hard its being broken up like that.
I hear Amy Meeson has a baby, and the whole family are migrating over there. Mary goes away for a short holiday tomorrow and I wont be sorry when she comes back. The J. Wrights had a dance at Bishopscourt last night. I wasn’t asked, indeed no invitations of that sort come this way not that Willie has gone away; but from all I hear it is but poor fun at dances now. George Sise & Mr Tapley are considered quite blasé elderly men, so you can imagine what the younger generation is like. At the Wrights I believe half the men disappeared into the smoking room before supper and left as many girls sitting out.
I hear May has left the Colony – she writes from the Hot Lakes and describes the good times she and “Frankie” have in the baths together. Mrs Ferguson is still in a pepper with her and Miss Cumine has her hands full trying to soothe her. I go over pretty often to see Mrs Kenyon. Addie & Trissie have taken over the forlorn and helpless Mrs Stelling and go about on either arm with her. Have you seen much of Ethel McLaren?
Will you show Will the following sketch of my winter boots and ask him if they meet with his approval. I would have like them thicker if I could have got them! [sketch] With love to your dear old self, Ethel and Will and every your loving sister Fanny.
I thought Mother was writing to thank you for the game and it turned out she thought I was doing it. She sends her best thanks for them, in which Father joins!
My dearest Sis
I should have written long ago to thank you for the beautiful pair of gloves you sent me. They fit me beautifully and will be very welcome a little later on when I have gone back to colours. I am still wearing black but I intend leaving it off in a few weeks. Mother has just made herself a velveteen blouse and looks most awfully nice in it. I am going to send home for a blue serge tailor made dress. The Spence’s are going to get it for me when I send.
Bert arrived today and is most enthusiastic about your and Will’s kindness to him. The duck eat extremely well tonight and Father offered up a humble prayer for it and another that the pheasants might be allowed to get sufficiently gamey before cooking. He spent last night at Mr Russells and Mother and I and the McGowans and Mr Ramsden went to an alpine lecture given by Mr Ross. Mr R. gave me a ticket and Mr Ramsden sent me another so we did it on the cheap. It was partly on account of the trip up the Remarkables and Willie and Mr Ramy [i.e. Ramsden?] figured largely on the screen tho’ the latter thought he didn’t appear half often enough. Some of Willie’s photographs were shown and were really beautiful and produced great applause. I would defy anyone to write decently with a pen like this and my initial sleeve links cut the paper so please excuse a rather untidy letter. News there is none, the Savage Club opens on Monday night, presidents Mesdames Sale & Stelling and R Webster.
Willie didn’t come up on the 24th after all. He is beginning to like Ingil very much. I fancy I. Rattray is the attraction, she has twice extended her ticket and has now taken out a new one. I have not seen Mrs Scott for a long time. Dr S. was up on Sunday and said she was still in bed and very stiff. She ought to go away from that damp university I am sure it has shown pretty plainly that it doesn’t agree with her. Mother has been down to see her and said she was very pleased at being asked to stand Godmother to the babs. Mrs Hoskins is feeling very sorry for her self but she has not much long now. I go up and see her as often as I can. Did you hear that Daisy Ross has lost her husband, and that she has gone out as a housekeeper. I am awfully sorry for her. Mrs Malcolm Ross used to hear from her and her life seemed such a congenial and a happy one and it does seem hard its being broken up like that.
I hear Amy Meeson has a baby, and the whole family are migrating over there. Mary goes away for a short holiday tomorrow and I wont be sorry when she comes back. The J. Wrights had a dance at Bishopscourt last night. I wasn’t asked, indeed no invitations of that sort come this way not that Willie has gone away; but from all I hear it is but poor fun at dances now. George Sise & Mr Tapley are considered quite blasé elderly men, so you can imagine what the younger generation is like. At the Wrights I believe half the men disappeared into the smoking room before supper and left as many girls sitting out.
I hear May has left the Colony – she writes from the Hot Lakes and describes the good times she and “Frankie” have in the baths together. Mrs Ferguson is still in a pepper with her and Miss Cumine has her hands full trying to soothe her. I go over pretty often to see Mrs Kenyon. Addie & Trissie have taken over the forlorn and helpless Mrs Stelling and go about on either arm with her. Have you seen much of Ethel McLaren?
Will you show Will the following sketch of my winter boots and ask him if they meet with his approval. I would have like them thicker if I could have got them! [sketch] With love to your dear old self, Ethel and Will and every your loving sister Fanny.
I thought Mother was writing to thank you for the game and it turned out she thought I was doing it. She sends her best thanks for them, in which Father joins!
Pages
7 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-05
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-05.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23234786
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23234786