DLA016-0157 Transcription

189. Queens’ Gate.

S.W.7.

thursday

My Dear Friend,

Many thanks for your note and the trouble you have taken on my behalf. I rang up your [gracious or Guinness?] [illegible] next week I am going to see him.

Rubido Zichy^[1] told me all about your party with the Crown Princess of Roumania.^[2]

I was so pleased to see Mr Kelloggs’ portrait [5917] in “The Times”.^[3] I never saw any artist’s picture reproduced in such a huge [illegible]. It is an excellent portrait, I saw that it will be a success when you showed it to me

[Page 2]

after the first sitting.

The other day I sent the article about you in the Illustrated News, to the ”Pesti Hirlap”, I am sure they made use of it.

I hear you are leaving on the 23rd^[4] I shall miss you; Let me know when you are back and I shall come and have an evening with you “en famille”.

With my best regards to Mrs de Lasló, yourself and Johny!^[5] | Your old friend

Ruttkay

Editorial Notes:

Vilmos Ruttkay de Felső-Ruttka (born 1869), commercial attaché at the Hungarian Embassy in London; for biographical notes, see [4856].

This letter dates to sometime between 17th February, when Ambassador Kellogg’s portrait was reproduced in The Times, and 22nd February 1925 (the author mentions de László’s planned departure on 23rd, see fn 4 below).

SMDL

02/01/2018

[1] Possibly Baron Iván Rubido-Zichy de Zich et Zagorje (1874-1964) [111030], Hungarian diplomat; served as Hungarian Minister to the Court of St. James’s from 1924 to 1932

[2] Princess Helen of Romania, née Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark; consort of King Carol II (1896-1982) [4221]. The Crown Prince and Princess of Romania were in London in January and February of 1925.

[3] The Times, 17 February 1925, p. 18

[4] On 24th February 1925, de László and Lucy arrived in the French town of Hyères on the Mediterranean coast, southeastern France.

[5] John Adolphus de Laszlo (1912-1990) [11622], fifth and youngest son of Philip and Lucy de László