Thomas Woolner letter to John Frederick Lewis, 1874 May 17

"May 17 '74. My dear Mr Lewis, your letter was sent on to me at Paris, and greatly delighted I was to know you were pleased with the appreciation of your wonderful picture. You do not think so highly of your own work as your admirers do, or you could not be surprised at any sum being offered for one of your chief pictures. I am sure Mr Graham's offer was bona fide, as he asked me to find out if the possessor would take the sum mentioned, and as he was willing to give it. £10,000 is a large sum, but not much to a man worth £100,000 a year who wishes to gratify a keen taste. He told me he had refused 6000 guis. for Turner's "Van Goyen in search of a subject", and he gave 7000 for Gainsbro's two ladies sold at Christie's last year; so that you see he is not wedded to cash where taste is concerned. My belief is that very soon your chief works will be priceless; that is, they will all become established in first class collections where no money will be able [to] extract them. - There are some delightful pictures in the Loan Coll. at Paris, both old and modern. What a pity you are not well enough to go! - There are the choice works from private houses which will not be seen again by the public. Ingres best works are there. Delaroche's best - the Murder of the Duke de Guise. -A wonderful portrait of a young man by Raphael. Two fine portraits by Antonio More; superb Dutch landscapes, and in fact to have an idea of the wealth there the Ex. must be seen. The knic-knacs are superb and astonishing. - But I will not tire you with an account of all the delightful things I saw. It was particularly pleasant to me, for my wife had never been on the Continent before and everything was new as well as pleasant to her. - Gerome is very fine in the Salon this year, three pictures all equally good. The mass there, of course, being fearful rubbish. The drawing, of which so much is said, is mostly weak, and inexact, and vulgar. - With kindest wishes for your health- Ever truly yours, T. Woolner. Please [...] to answer this. " See: Thomas Woolner, R.A., sculptor and poet, pages 294-295.