DLA016-0088 Transcription

WOLMER WOOD,

MARLOW COMMON,

MARLOW, BUCKS.

May 25th 1926.

My dear friend

I am very sorry but I find I cannot get to town for a night this week – if I do come up it will only be for a few hours tomorrow. If Tuesday night next week – June 1st – will be all right for you I will keep it free so that I can come to you then.

I hope you had a good time in Scotland and had good weather; we had a heavy thunderstorm here on Sunday but yesterday was really fine and warm. The Kendricks^[1] came to us for Whitsuntide and have, I think, enjoyed themselves.

The portrait, I hope, is developing as you wish it to.^[2] I am inclined

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to prophesy that it is going to be one of your greater successes; it has already great dignity and vigorous character and your whole scheme of it is admirable, so I believe it will add to your reputation. You have a special faculty for rising to important occasions.

Au revoir | Always yours

A.L. Baldry

Editorial Note:

Alfred Lys Baldry (1858-1939), British artist and art critic who authored several articles on de László and who was a close family friend; for biographical notes, see [3562].

SMDL

18/12/2017

[1] Sydney Percy Kendrick (1874-1955) and his wife. Kendrick was probably the most favoured of de László’s official copyists, himself exhibiting at the Royal Academy as a painter of genre and landscape paintings.

[2] Likely a reference to de László’s portrait of Randall Thomas Davidson, First Baron Davidson of Lambeth (1848-1930) [4632], which had been commissioned to mark the latter’s retirement; Davidson signed the sitters’ book on 20th May 1926.