6297

Mrs Frederick McConnell, née Helen MacKenzie Alexander 1936

Half-length to the right, full face, wearing a gold and black brocade stole over her black evening dress, a diamond brooch at her breast, and three strings of pearls around her neck

Oil on canvas, 82.3 x 59.1 cm (32 ⅜ x 23 ¼ in.)

Inscribed lower right: To Joe & Paul / For  Christophers / Christening / 1936 July

Laib L14677B(226) / C30(17)  Unidentified woman

Sitters’ Book II, f. 86: Helen M. Mc.Connell July 8th. 1936.

Private Collection

The artist’s third son, Paul, had married Mrs McConnell’s daughter Josephine in 1933 [10477]. In 1936 their son Christopher [8634] was born and de László suggested he could paint Mrs McConnell as a gift for the couple.^[1] The artist noted in his diary that: “Mrs McConnell is so much mooved [sic] that I am going to paint her – as a memento – of The grandchild’s birth to the parents – I like her – she is genuinely nice.”^[2] There were three sittings on 6, 7 and 8 July 1936 and the artist later completed the shawl in her absence from the studio.^[3] 

Helen MacKenzie Alexander was born in Jamaica 1871, the second daughter of Arthur Harvey Alexander and his wife Isabella Gibson. She married in June 1899 Frederick Vavasour McConnell (1868-1914) of Camfield Place, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. He was born in British Guyana and was an avid traveller and collector of natural history specimens which he donated to the British Museum. They had three sons and one daughter: John (born 1900), Arthur (born 1903), Josephine (born 1906) and Duncan (born 1908).

PROVENANCE:

Paul Leonardo de Laszlo, the artist’s third son;

By descent in the family

LITERATURE:

•László, Philip de, March-July 1936 diary, private collection, 22 April entry, p. 68; 19 June entry, p. 121; 6 July entry, p. 147; 7 July entry, p. 147; 8 July entry, p. 150

•DLA024-0234, Letter from Mrs McConnell to de László, 3 June 1936

•DLA027-0005, Letter from Mrs Paul de Laszlo to de László, 3 June 1936

KF & MD 2016