1924 Autographed Letter Signed from Sir Frank Dicksee to the Dutchess

Sir Frank Dicksee. (1853-1928, English Painter)

Published by Maida Vale, London, 1924

About this Item

Single sheet of laid paper, written on both sides. Approximately 160+ words. Measuring roughly 6 x 4 inches with a single horizontal crease. CONDITION: scattered very faint finger-soiling, else fine. ALS on personal stationery with very posh Maida Vale, NW 6 address engraved top right edge. Fantastic content. A marvelous window onto the mores of English society in the 1920's. Dicksee would have been in his 70's at the time of this letter and presumably should have known better than to wear his "old stable jacket" to a soiree of the Dutchess's.but do we ever learn, some of us, do we ever learn? Despite our best efforts we never have been able to identify exactly which Dutchess this event pertains to. We even contacted the author of Dicksee's definitive biography ["Frank Dicksee: 1853-1928; His Art and Life" by Simon Toll, 2017. ACC Publishing,] but he was as stumped as we were. For your reading pleasure here is the our best efforts to decipher the letter's eccentric handwriting: "Jan. 18, 1924. Dear Duchess, I find to my dismay that I owe you a considerable apology for appearing in your beautiful house and amidst your distinguished guests in a sort of "old stable jacket" -it is the sort of thing that I mostly wear in the evening and I suppose it was put out & I must have put it on while thinking of something else & I never became aware of the solecism I had committed until I took the wretched thing off before going to bed. Your Grace may not have noticed this. My only consolation is that the men present at least would not take me now P.R.A. to be the son of a tailor as his (?) costume(?) was without tails. (?)and (indecipherable). Really I am most sorry that any guest of yours should be so careless and uncouth. I, of course (indecipherable) to where this delinquent has to sign himself in all humiliation, Yrs Sincerely Frank Dicksee." Provenance: purchased at auction with auction record available to buyer upon request. " Frank Dicksee was born at a time when the first wave of Pre-Raphaelitism was beginning to make its presence felt in Britain and he inherited the romantic spirit of the movement that had been founded only a stone's throw from his childhood home. After early success with his painting of unrequited love, Harmony, he rose to be one of the most popular artists of the late 19th-century, painting in a sumptuous and dramatic style. Dicksee's family was a veritable dynasty of artists but it is Frank who is best known and loved today for his Pre-Raphaelite inspired subjects. He enrolled in the Royal Academy in 1870 and quickly achieved success, elected to the Academy in 1891 and became President of the Royal Academy in 1924." From the publisher of : "Frank Dicksee: 1853-1928; His Art and Life" by Simon Toll, 2017. ACC Publishing. Seller Inventory # 005446

Bibliographic Details

Title: 1924 Autographed Letter Signed from Sir ...

Publisher: Maida Vale, London

Publication Date: 1924

Binding: Loose_leaf

Condition: Very Good