[Illustrated letter from William Orpen to Avenal St George]

Handwritten letter on City of Dublin Steam Packet Company headed paper. This is the only letter in the collection specifically addressed to Avenal St George and includes a sketch of the artist having dinner with Mrs St George and Avenal.

nd

Ink on paper

 

Private Collection

Prints & Drawings Department

 

Dear Avenal - I hope you'll be well soon - and do some great paintings - I told my boy
in the school to send you out a paper block - which I hope he'll do.
below is a picture supposed to represent last Sunday
evening - but the boat is nothing = and as
everybody knows woppy gets sick - you'll forgive me.

Sir William Orpen, Irish artist, born in Dublin, Orpen trained at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art before moving to London to study at the Slade School of Fine Art. He remained in London and became a highly successful portrait and subject painter. Appointed Official War Artist in 1917, Orpen left for France and was stationed at Amiens and the Somme Battlefields. He returned to London after the war and remained there until his death.

Florence Evelyn St George, eldest child of New York banker George F Baker. In 1906 while married to Howard Bligh St George she began a relationship with Sir William Orpen.