Thursday June 17. –
My dear Henry,
Your portraits shall be copied today if possible–<1> but at present there seems no chance of a ray of sunshine and I know there is no use in trying them without. – If the weather should continue dark today, I will copy them myself the first opportunity after Nichole’s <2> departure. – He has waxed some as you desired & ironed all, but the fold will not entirely come out. – and I cannot think why you do fold them at all. – I received those two letters on Monday morning, & answered you the same day. – Did you not receive my answer on the Tuesday, containing the three copies of the Portrait? –
Miss Cotton <3> is here & seems to be very happy & comfortable. She admires the building & the garden also, as much as possible. – and the children <4> have already won her affection, especially Matilda. – They have taken her out with them this morning to shew her their own little gardens.
I shall be very sorry if you miss Mrs Chambers and Mina, <5> but of course if business detains you in London it cannot be helped, and they know how uncertain you are. –
Your affectionate
Constance
Notes:
1. By 'copied', she almost certainly means making prints from negatives, rather than photographing existing portraits. See Doc. No: 04282.
2. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT’s valet, then assistant; photographer.
3. A flower-painter [see Doc. No: 03318].
4. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter, Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter and Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter.
5. Aunt and sister of Richard Charles Mellish (d. 1865), a clerk in the Foreign Office from 1824 to 1855.