St Leonards <1>
May 7th
My dear Henry
I wish to avoid passing through London unless you have any good reason for wanting me to do so In a journey of that length it is a great object to save as much time & fatigue as possible on account of the Children <2> – & I imagine that we could not set foot in London without wasting a great deal of time there – By avoiding London, I think we might easily manage to get home in two days. So if you agree to this, pray enlighten my mind in regard to the best places for sleeping – about mid way, that is, in time not in distance for I believe this half must require more hours than the half nearer home, where the roads are so flat & good. I shall be able to settle all the accounts without you if you will send me another cheque – I shall want about 30·£ besides the assistance which Nicholl <3> is able to afford from his own purse. We learn at the Coach office that there is no means of sending the Servants home except through London, because there are no coaches from hence to Bath – This I expected, & I want to know where I must order them to sleep in London – or Can they lodge for one night in Sackville Street? <4> – There will be only 2 – namely Rice, & Edward the page. Mary Anne <5> will also go up with them, but she you know is discharged from our Service. I should have liked exceedingly just to have seen Lady Elisabeth <6> & Horatia <7> & received any commissions they might have had for Lacock. So I hope they will think that I am very prudent & unselfish in taking another route. And you too dearest Henry – when shall I see you again? –
I am delighted to tell you that the pictures are now proceeding in the most promising manner, & though extremely unfinished I begin to perceive that the two little shadowy heads are not unlike those of our little darlings – Mr Forster now feels confident of success<8> – & I can see that he is perfectly delighted with the subjects of his picture, especially with Ela – He said on Saturday that he often drew portraits of children that were called pretty & that parents made a great fuss about, but that he seldom had seen a child so beautiful in every sense of the word as Ela; & he added – “that is what I call a really fine head – there is something about it that pleases me amazingly” – and again today he said “It is not merely the face that must be drawn like, but there is a lightness & charm about her whole figure that must be given, in order to render a faithful likeness.” – I could not resist telling you all this, because I think it shews that there is no reason to fear a failure – Still you must not raise your expectation too high, for that would be illadvised – I hear that my Brother <9> has lately had his picture painted by Ross <10> the famous Miniature painter – & Harriot <11> thinks it a good likeness – I ought to have told you that the childrens Mr Forster’s charge for children’s pictures is from 2 to 3 guineas each figure – & in this instance I dare say he will make the highest charge, because he has had more trouble than usual – Sir Henry Campbell has given me no answer yet about the Cook – I suppose he was in London instead of at Richmond, & that the letter has followed him –
My Sisters <12> have had the satisfaction of hearing that their new carriage is nearly prepared for them & will be quite ready to convey them to Lacock on Tuesday the 22d that the is, three weeks from tomorrow
We took a pleasant drive a few days ago & stopped in a charmingly romantic lane to gather some flowers & Ela immediately said “I wish Papa was here, he would have liked to gather some primroses.” Think of her having learned so early, to connect flowers with her recollections of Papa! –
Pray don’t forget the cushion in Queen Anne St <13> when you come to Lacock – when will that be? I am going to write to Hannah, to say she must prepare for our reception –
Your affectionate
Constance
H. F. Talbot Esqre
31 Sackville Street
London
Notes:
1. Sussex, west of Hastings
2. Ela Theresa Talbot (25 Apr 1835 - 25 Apr 1893), WHFT's 1st daughter; and Rosamond Constance Talbot (16 Mar 1837 - 7 May 1906), 'Rose'; 'Monie'; artist & WHFT's 2nd daughter; died & buried at San Remo, Italy, with a memorial at Lacock.
3. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT’s valet, then assistant; photographer.
4. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.
5. Mary Anne Kennedy, former nurse to Ela.
6. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
7. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.
8. Almost certainly Robert Edward Forster (b. 1811) a London artist & teacher of drawing and a regular exhibitor of portraits in the Royal Academy from 1838-1855 (he went bankrupt in 1861). He was commissioned to do portraits of Ela and Rosamond. See also Doc. No: 03673.
9. William Mundy (1801-1877), politician, WHFT’s brother-in-law.
10. Sir William Charles Ross (1794–1860), minature painter.
11. Harriot Georgiana Mundy, née Frampton (1806-1886), WHFT’s cousin & sister-in-law.
12. Laura Mundy (1805– 1 September 1842); Emily Mundy (1807– 5 Novemb er 1839); Marian Gilder, née Mundy (1806 – 14 October 1860); m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret).; WHFT’s sisters-in-law.
13. 44 Queen Ann Street: London home of the Mundy family and a frequent base for WHFT.