Description
HRH Princess Louise (1848-1939) (daughter of Queen Victoria) Sketch book containing 74 water-colours, sketches and pencil drawings The sketch book starts with a preface as follows;
"In nature's presence many a wretch
Proclaimed aloud his feelings gush;
When silent I with hasty sketch
Would paint her language with my brush:
Thus something of the joy she gave
For other days I tried to save;
And make the scenes I gathered here
If not to art to memory dear."
It contains sketches made by the Princess as she and her new husband. the Marquis of Lorne (later Duke of Argyll) set off on their honeymoon to Italy. They left on 2nd April 1871 by train and the earliest sketch is dated 14th April. By following the dates one can obtain the detail of her itinerary through Italy. The first sketches are of Wurzberg which is close to where her sister Princess Alice who was married to Prince Louis of Hesse lived at Darmstadt. They are known to have met only briefly on that occasion. After the Honeymoon sketches, there are later sketches many in the Scottish highlands, the latest inscribed date being 1877. The detailed contents of the album mostly inscribed and with approximate sizes are as follows;
1 and 2.Two landscape drawings of Wurzburg one inscr. Apr 1871,4.5" X 7.5"
3. Water-colour sketch dated 14th April 1871 Botzein?, Alpine landscape, 4.5" x 7.5"
4. Pen and ink gentleman in local dress inscr.. Verona April 15, 6.5" x 4.5"
5. Pencil landscape S. Antonio, Padua, 7.5" x 4.5"
6. Pencil drawing a lady in local dress Bologna April 17, 7.5" x 4.5"
7. Pencil drawing Pontevecchio Florence 1871, 7.5" x 4.5"
8.W/c Pisa 9.25" x 5.75"
9. W/c Lake of Como looking towards Lecco, 5.75" x 9.25"
10. W/c Lake Como, 5.75" x 9.25"
11 and 12. Pencil "Como" and w/c "View from Cadenabbia" both 4.5" x 7.25"
13. W/c Como, 7" x 10"
14. Pencil, view from Villa Melzi of Bellagio, Como, 4.75 x 11"
15. W/c, view of Lake from Villa Julia, 5" x 7"
16. W/c,, Villa belonging to Victor Emmanuel and Villa belonging to Grand Duchess Maria of Russia from ? formerly residence of Lorenzo de Medici, Frisoli Florence 1871, 7" x 10"
17. W/c, View of Carrara Mountain from Spezzia, May 1871, 7" x 10"
18. Ink and wash, peasant with firewood, near Spezzia 1871, 7.5" x 4.5"
19 W/c, View of \Phoenix Park from Vice-regal Lodge. Aug 6th 1871, (this was during a six day visit to Ireland with the Prince of Wales), 5.75" x 9.25"
20. Pencil landscape Mentone, 6" x 9", (This w/c is out of sequence because they did not go to Mentone until after Christmas 1871, see below.)
21. Pencil landscape, Inverary, Homecoming 1871, this was the occasion of the first visit and accompanying festivities held to celebrate the return of the Duke of Argyll's heir and his new bride. It shows the harbour and assembled boats, 4.75" x 7"
22. Pencil landscape, Place Vendome, Paris, Dec31st 1871, 4.5" x 7"
23. W/c, Mentone, Jan 1872, Coastal landscape,4.5" x 9.25"
24. Pencil, peasant woman (pres. at Mentone),9" x 5.75"
25. Pencil, Olive (tree) Mentone 1872, 9.25" x 5.75"
26. W/c, Cannes from Villa Poralto, Feb 1872, 4.5" x 7.25"
27. Pencil landscape, Roquebrum (nr. Mentone) Feb 17 1872, 4.75" x 7"
28. W/c, landscape, Tunbridge Wells,July 1872, 4.75" x 7"
29 and 30. W/cs, Galen, Mull 24th August and Gribbin Headland, Loch na Kiel Mull, both 3.5" x 6.75" The Summer of 1872 was spent in Scotland
31 and 32. W/cs, Iona with Ross of Mull in the distance and Benmore from Bunessan, Mull, both 3.5" x 6.75"
33. W/c landscape Loch Boa, Mull, Aug 23 1872, 4.75" x 10"
34. Loch Boa and Glenmore, Mull, Aug 24 1872, 4.75" x 10"
35. W/c Boig Headland, Mull from Bunessan. Aug 26 1872, 4.75" x 9.75"
36. and 37. W/cs Macarioch House (Mull) 1872, 4.75" x 9" and 3" x 7"
38. W/c Argyll's Bowling Green Gareloch, from Rosemeath, 4.5" x 9.75"
39. W/c Balmoral, 4.5" x 9.75"
40. W/c View from the Drawing Room window Balmoral, Oct 25 '73 4.75" x 10"
41. W/c Powderham Devon, 4.75" x 10"
42 W/c, Old Kinloss? Hills and Strone Point, Inverary from Castle, 5.75" x 8.75"
43. W/c, Portrait inscr. "Libby". Lady Elisabeth Campbell her husband's sister and chief bridesmaid at their wedding (She later became Lady Elisabeth Clough Taylor). 7" x 5"
44. W/c Cruachan from ?? Sep 13 1874, 7.25 x 9"
45. W/c Rock fish, Tobermory, Sept 12 1874, 5" x 9.75"
46 and 47, W/c coastal landscapes from a boat (no inscription) both 9" x 5.75"
48, 49 and 50, W/c highland landscapes (not inscribed) 6" x 9.5", 6.75" x 9.5" and 7.5" x 10"
51 and 52, W/cs beached fishing boat and coastal landscape inscribed from Oban '75, both 4.25" x 6.5"
53 and 54, pen and ink ghillie in a kilt pushing out a rowing boat inscr.. Mull Cottage '75 and pencil, crewman in oilskins, inscr. Yacht Columba, '75 4.25" x 6.25" and 6.25" x 4.25"
55 Pencil, Aschach '76 Sept 14, view over rooftops, 4.25" x 6.25"
56. W/c Continental street scene, 7" x 9.25"
57. Ink, full length portrait of a lady, inscr. Marienbad 1877, 6.75" x 4.25"
58. Pencil, trees, Marienbad 14th to 21st Aug. '77 (It is known from a letter in the Royal Archive from Princess Louise's sister the Crown Princess of Prussia dated Aug 16th 1877 that Princess Louise was in Marienbad at that time. This was one of many visits to the Spa seeking a cure because she had failed to conceive.) 6.5" x 4.25"
59 W/c landscape, 6.75" x 9.5"
60. W/c, A castle, 9.5" x 6.75"
61 and 62, pen and ink, a collie and a fir tree, 2.75" x 5" and 7.5" x 5"
63 and 64, W/c of a house, 4.25" x 6.5"and pencil drawing of a dog inscr. Dombie '76, 4.25" x 6.5"
65 and 66. Two W/cs of an iceberg and a coastal landscape with a lighthouse, both 4" x 7.5" and 3.75" x 7.5". These watercolours will
have been painted when her husband was Governor General of Canada 1878-83.
67. W/c Continental bridge, 7.25" x 4.25"
68. Pen and ink, Two peasant women, 7.25" x 3.25"
69. W/c Highland coastal landscape,3.75" x 7.5"
70 and 71 W/cs two landscapes, both 4" x 7.25"
72 and 73. W/cs two landscapes, both 7.5" x 4"
74 W/c Continental townscape with bridge, 4.25" x 7.5"
PROVENANCE; Authenticated as one of Princess Louise's sketchbooks the album is sold with a letter dated 20th May 1988 from the Royal Library at Windsor. It may well have been purchased at auction from the Christies sale of the contents of Bagsot Park in 1942 following the death of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, a son of Queen Victoria and therefore brother of Princess Louise. It has been in store for the last twelve years. Very few paintings by the Princess have been on the open market although two were sold recently by Lyon and Turnbull in the auction of the Forbes Collection from Battersea House, London; lot 399 w/c of a woman in outdoor clothes and lot 423 (1/11/2011)
We acknowledge the assistance that we have obtained in researching this album to the book, Princess Louise by Jehanne Wake publ. 1988.