Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
15 Feb 1901
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Object Detail
Date
15 Feb 1901
Transcript
Turramurra Friday evening
My dearest Sis
Lydia has a perfectly insane habit of retiring to bed at eight o’clock so here I am enveloped in a mosquito net with my brand new blotter and my brand new pen writing to you. I no soon commence an interesting conversation with Mr Rolin than Lydia suggests bed which to me is a perfect nightmare as I am nearly eaten alive and at the present moment I look a most scorbutic looking object. Lydia is very like Aunt Mary and gets deadly bored when she is not talking herself. It seems such ages since I said goodbye to you in Wellington, we had a splendid passage and I proved myself an excellent sailor and thoroughly enjoyed my meals. I thought Mrs Turton a pig when she ate waffles & syrup for breakfast the first morning but I found myself doing the same thing the day after. I found Lydia waiting for me and after a lot of fuss and bother over my luggage finally got it stored in the P & O shed where it will wait till the ‘Arcadia’ is ready to receive it. I took the precaution to insure it. I have already lost my deck chair, it must have been stolen for I saw it safely on board at Lyttleton and on looking for [it] after we left Wllgton it was nowhere to be seen. I am going to put in a claim at the S.S.S.Co. Mrs Turton and I have both come to the conclusion that we have not yet found out how to travel economically. It takes the genius of a Mrs Bartleman to do that. We have both developed that furrowed and anxious look that marks lone females looking after their own luggage. It was a fizzling day when we arrived 108 deg in the shade but I rather enjoyed it but the next day I was too fagged out to move off the sofa and it was a relief to have a thoroughly wet day which put sight-seeing out of the question. Ada Raymond rang up and arranged for a meeting on Friday (to-day), so I met her & Mrs Turton in town and after fortifying ourselves at Chadler’s we went to the Soc. Of Artists show in Pitt St with a few exceptions was much disappointed especially with Tom Roberts’ work. Lambert is quite the coming man, his work is wonderfully strong and virile. “The Black Soil Country” is magnificent I haven’t seen any local work I like as well as Mr Hanson’s. Sid Long and I. Ashton one would tire of very quickly. After an hour in the gallery we had another meal, this time at the A.B.C., beastly, and then bought some grapes (2d a lb) and ate them in the Domain then went to the National Gallery and had a hurried glimpse at all the pictures. I am going again on Monday and by myself – fatal to go with anyone not interested. Tomorrow Lydia self and Mr Rolin are going to a picnic somewhere up the harbour. We start at 8 in the morning and if back in time are going to the theatre in the evening. I like Mr Rolin, he amuses me with his excessive politeness of which he seems to have got a perfect disease. He should have been a family doctor his manner is so very soothing. Lydia is much the same except for an extraordinary click which she winds up all her sentences with. She is very sweet to me. Betha came over yesterday to see me. She reminds me rather of a good looking Maori halfcaste with a good deal of the native temperament, they are certainly not energetic. Lydia’s children are not beauties by any means, their old little faces with their huge blots of eyes are decidedly uncanny. I like the house very much, in your hands it would be lovely. We have just heard of a very bad railway accident on the line we are going on tomorrow, 14 killed and ever so many injured. The streets are a constant marvel to me, the way the traffic is managed is wonderful. I am much impressed with the beauty of everything and am enjoying everything tremendously. I hope dear old Mother is well, be sure and write me a line to Melbourne. I am longing for news of you all. In case I have not time to write to Mother till Sunday will you post this on to her as soon as you have read it. I wrote her on the way across to let her know how I got on. I feel so grateful for all you gave me and will take the greatest care of the brooch and the chain. I do hope you are taking care of yourself and that you have some kind of help in the kitchen. I will write again from Melbourne and tell you all my news. With heaps of love to you all Your loving Fanny
My dearest Sis
Lydia has a perfectly insane habit of retiring to bed at eight o’clock so here I am enveloped in a mosquito net with my brand new blotter and my brand new pen writing to you. I no soon commence an interesting conversation with Mr Rolin than Lydia suggests bed which to me is a perfect nightmare as I am nearly eaten alive and at the present moment I look a most scorbutic looking object. Lydia is very like Aunt Mary and gets deadly bored when she is not talking herself. It seems such ages since I said goodbye to you in Wellington, we had a splendid passage and I proved myself an excellent sailor and thoroughly enjoyed my meals. I thought Mrs Turton a pig when she ate waffles & syrup for breakfast the first morning but I found myself doing the same thing the day after. I found Lydia waiting for me and after a lot of fuss and bother over my luggage finally got it stored in the P & O shed where it will wait till the ‘Arcadia’ is ready to receive it. I took the precaution to insure it. I have already lost my deck chair, it must have been stolen for I saw it safely on board at Lyttleton and on looking for [it] after we left Wllgton it was nowhere to be seen. I am going to put in a claim at the S.S.S.Co. Mrs Turton and I have both come to the conclusion that we have not yet found out how to travel economically. It takes the genius of a Mrs Bartleman to do that. We have both developed that furrowed and anxious look that marks lone females looking after their own luggage. It was a fizzling day when we arrived 108 deg in the shade but I rather enjoyed it but the next day I was too fagged out to move off the sofa and it was a relief to have a thoroughly wet day which put sight-seeing out of the question. Ada Raymond rang up and arranged for a meeting on Friday (to-day), so I met her & Mrs Turton in town and after fortifying ourselves at Chadler’s we went to the Soc. Of Artists show in Pitt St with a few exceptions was much disappointed especially with Tom Roberts’ work. Lambert is quite the coming man, his work is wonderfully strong and virile. “The Black Soil Country” is magnificent I haven’t seen any local work I like as well as Mr Hanson’s. Sid Long and I. Ashton one would tire of very quickly. After an hour in the gallery we had another meal, this time at the A.B.C., beastly, and then bought some grapes (2d a lb) and ate them in the Domain then went to the National Gallery and had a hurried glimpse at all the pictures. I am going again on Monday and by myself – fatal to go with anyone not interested. Tomorrow Lydia self and Mr Rolin are going to a picnic somewhere up the harbour. We start at 8 in the morning and if back in time are going to the theatre in the evening. I like Mr Rolin, he amuses me with his excessive politeness of which he seems to have got a perfect disease. He should have been a family doctor his manner is so very soothing. Lydia is much the same except for an extraordinary click which she winds up all her sentences with. She is very sweet to me. Betha came over yesterday to see me. She reminds me rather of a good looking Maori halfcaste with a good deal of the native temperament, they are certainly not energetic. Lydia’s children are not beauties by any means, their old little faces with their huge blots of eyes are decidedly uncanny. I like the house very much, in your hands it would be lovely. We have just heard of a very bad railway accident on the line we are going on tomorrow, 14 killed and ever so many injured. The streets are a constant marvel to me, the way the traffic is managed is wonderful. I am much impressed with the beauty of everything and am enjoying everything tremendously. I hope dear old Mother is well, be sure and write me a line to Melbourne. I am longing for news of you all. In case I have not time to write to Mother till Sunday will you post this on to her as soon as you have read it. I wrote her on the way across to let her know how I got on. I feel so grateful for all you gave me and will take the greatest care of the brooch and the chain. I do hope you are taking care of yourself and that you have some kind of help in the kitchen. I will write again from Melbourne and tell you all my news. With heaps of love to you all Your loving Fanny
Pages
7 pages
Sender's address
Turramurra
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-08
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-08.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23192117
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23192117