DLA006-0008 Transcription

R.M.S. “MAURETANIA.”

Dear Mr Laszlo –

The boards arrived safe and most welcome in perfect time to come over with me. Thank you so much, they seem delightful to work on, I tried one for a

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few minutes and feel I shall do wonderful chef d’oeuvres on them! I am going to work really hard all this winter on them. I will paint your dear little red-haired boy when I return. Do remember

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me to Mr East,^[1] perhaps he will come to New York again this winter in which case I shall hope to see him. I was very sorry you could not come but it was so hot at Windsor we would hardly have helped you and you must be having a glorious time with Lucy and the children at [illegible].

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Do give her my love. I shall look forward very much to your picture of Ld Roberts, he will be so interesting to paint.^[2] I saw his [illegible] picture in one of the papers, it looked excellent. I hope to see some more delightful pictures next year when I return. With many thanks for the boards I am most grateful for them.

Yours sincerely

Alfhild Guinness

Editorial Notes:

In 1913, the sender, Mrs Henry Samuel Howard Guinness, née Alfhild Holter (1890-1983), married Lucy de László’s nephew, Henry Samuel Howard Guinness (1888-1975), the son of Lucy’s elder brother Howard Rundell Guinness (1868-1937) [5494]. In that year, de László painted a portrait of Alfhild [3056], which he presented to the sitter on the occasion of her marriage. After de László, she was the second foreigner to marry into the Guinness family and this created a particular bond between them. For further biographical notes on the sender, see [3056].

24/05/2006

[1] Likely the painter, Sir Alfred East (1849-1913), who travelled widely throughout Europe, America and parts of Asia. It is not known how de László and East met, but de László painted East’s portrait in 1907 [3385], and the two travelled to St. Ives together later that year. It appears that East was involved in helping to secure a commission for de László in America. Mrs Thomas Morrison Carnegie [111552] had seen de László’s portrait of East in the latter’s studio and subsequently commissioned de László to paint four portraits (see DLA004-0004 and DLA010-0005 for correspondence pertaining to this commission).

[2] De László painted four portraits of Lord Roberts in October 1911: [6924] [6925] [6931] [6928].