Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Rachel Hodgkins
Date
12 Apr 1915
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Date
12 Apr 1915
Transcript
St Ives April 12th
My dear little Mother
I have left this weeks letter later than I ought to – so I shall have to steeplechase the week’s news if I am to catch the mail. After dinner letters are never much good. As I once pointed out if you do justice to yr dinner you rarely do justice to any thing else. My dinner is quite a note in the day’s programme – provided I haven’t forgotten to lead or send it home beforehand. I find catering an awful bore. The Lord always sides heavily against me when I visit the Butcher. Even buying ½ lb of suet is fraught with difficulties. Miss Major perchance chips off a bit of kidney. She appeals to her Mother in the back shop.
Is this kidney wanted Mother-r-r? Doan’t yer touch that kidney – that’s Mr Titcomb’s kidney. I therefore order veal & up comes a parcel of skinny bones in the guise of veal. Remonstrances & altercation with Mrs Major who declares it was the next cut to Lady ‘Aynes & she didn’t belong & make no complaint.
Some days I forget to order anything & have to fall back on some of Mrs Ponds emergency rations & be thankful. I am as busy as I can stick these days. A windfall of pupils & the Studio quite full. Mr Lindner brought in some distinguished strangers to see the Studio & two of them are taking 10 days lessons. One is Miss Troubridge a pretty white haired young woman, sister of the Admiral who let the Goeben escape from Malta. I heard the Admiralty acquitted him on his defence that he was duped by a German cable ordering him not to attack the Goeben. A former pupil from Paris turned up last night & tomorrow Miss Winthrop really comes at last, & at the end of the month 3 nice girls, old students of mine from Paris, come down – so my luck is in. Jack has left Hospital & is convoying men to the Front from his base at Havre. I enclose two of his letters but be sure & don’t let them go out of the family or over to Australia. I send him a weekly box of comforts. He says the Postal service between France & ourselves is beyond praise perfectly marvellous. They seem to have it to the pitch of perfection. The mere fact of officers being able to send their washing home & get it back the next week shows it!
I wonder which are the most dangerous Trenches or Wenches? But wots the good of torking? As if that would alter matters.
No more now Mother dear – I have been out to dinner 3 nights this week & feel very “off”. This heat wave of work can’t last for ever. I have two portrait groups on the go – one a pretty fair woman & her two most lovely infants – torturingly difficult & fascinating. I am taking to portraits with some success. I hope a letter from you is one the way – it is time for another. The burning question of the moment is whisky – will it be prohibited? I hope the Gov: will be firm & take over its control. If munitions fail us now we are lost. And if the men drink munitions will fail. Vested interest may be too strong for even Lloyd George. Love to you all & your own dear self. Your loving Frances
My dear little Mother
I have left this weeks letter later than I ought to – so I shall have to steeplechase the week’s news if I am to catch the mail. After dinner letters are never much good. As I once pointed out if you do justice to yr dinner you rarely do justice to any thing else. My dinner is quite a note in the day’s programme – provided I haven’t forgotten to lead or send it home beforehand. I find catering an awful bore. The Lord always sides heavily against me when I visit the Butcher. Even buying ½ lb of suet is fraught with difficulties. Miss Major perchance chips off a bit of kidney. She appeals to her Mother in the back shop.
Is this kidney wanted Mother-r-r? Doan’t yer touch that kidney – that’s Mr Titcomb’s kidney. I therefore order veal & up comes a parcel of skinny bones in the guise of veal. Remonstrances & altercation with Mrs Major who declares it was the next cut to Lady ‘Aynes & she didn’t belong & make no complaint.
Some days I forget to order anything & have to fall back on some of Mrs Ponds emergency rations & be thankful. I am as busy as I can stick these days. A windfall of pupils & the Studio quite full. Mr Lindner brought in some distinguished strangers to see the Studio & two of them are taking 10 days lessons. One is Miss Troubridge a pretty white haired young woman, sister of the Admiral who let the Goeben escape from Malta. I heard the Admiralty acquitted him on his defence that he was duped by a German cable ordering him not to attack the Goeben. A former pupil from Paris turned up last night & tomorrow Miss Winthrop really comes at last, & at the end of the month 3 nice girls, old students of mine from Paris, come down – so my luck is in. Jack has left Hospital & is convoying men to the Front from his base at Havre. I enclose two of his letters but be sure & don’t let them go out of the family or over to Australia. I send him a weekly box of comforts. He says the Postal service between France & ourselves is beyond praise perfectly marvellous. They seem to have it to the pitch of perfection. The mere fact of officers being able to send their washing home & get it back the next week shows it!
I wonder which are the most dangerous Trenches or Wenches? But wots the good of torking? As if that would alter matters.
No more now Mother dear – I have been out to dinner 3 nights this week & feel very “off”. This heat wave of work can’t last for ever. I have two portrait groups on the go – one a pretty fair woman & her two most lovely infants – torturingly difficult & fascinating. I am taking to portraits with some success. I hope a letter from you is one the way – it is time for another. The burning question of the moment is whisky – will it be prohibited? I hope the Gov: will be firm & take over its control. If munitions fail us now we are lost. And if the men drink munitions will fail. Vested interest may be too strong for even Lloyd George. Love to you all & your own dear self. Your loving Frances
Pages
4 pages
Sender's address
St. Ives
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-30
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-30.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22827024
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22827024