Cameron's Clique and the 'Catty Pattles'

Emily,

Well today was another flurry of Half-term visitors to Dimbola, all in good humour as the Bay sparkles in the very welcome sunshine.

A lady came in with her family and commented on the Mannequin we have dressed up as Julia- " I should wear that on Monday". When I asked what for- she told me she was going to her Mothers funeral, and that Mum had honeymooned at Dimbola in 1940. "It's such a lovely, happy-house " she said. At the Bookshop I met someone recently who spent her Honeymoon there in 1960- it's great to hear first-hand histories and memories.

Now then, my little proof-reader, back to business. We left off yesterday at Chapter two- the one where I introduce the Tennyson clan, and how Dodgson fell from grace with them ( you know the next bit- I do the character un-masking then- over the next two pages accompanied by my colouring-in. )

So, we've introduced Dodgson staying at the Bay in 1864, and catalogued his previous visits too. We've introduced his original prey, and now we move on to the force of nature that was our own Julia Margaret Cameron...

Chapter Three

'The Julia Margaret Cameron Effect'

For the purposes of this little book, and the limits of space, let us assume that the reader knows a little about this extraordinary Woman. Tennysons fame and legacy is easier to precis, whilst focussing on Carroll's writings, but a word or two about Julia's dynamic and forceful, somewhat overbearing presence is in order to set the tone of the relationship.

The fact alone that Julia ( from 1863 onwards ) became a pioneering blue-stocking Photographer was probably enough to set Charles Dodgson's niggling inferiority/superiority complex off- but that this came after he had 'assisted' her photographic education; and wormed his way into her coterie- yet was habitually 'sent home for lunch', and that Julia had a hand in persuading Emily Tennyson that Dodgsons portraits made her look haggard, similarly his portrait of a young Una Taylor was likened by her to a 'sick sea-monster', made her a prime target for Dodgsons 'Grotesque Cariacature Revenge'.

So, to set the scene. Dodgson befriended Julia at Dimbola in Freshwater Bay during his 1862 visit. They had met originally in London- Julia's Brother-in-Law Lord Somers had been head of the Photographic Society for a year, and had been teaching Julia, along with Dodgson, his good friend Robert Southey, and Oscar Reijlander, in the ways of their collective pioneering skills.

Somers- then seconded into Parliament by the elderly Lord Landsdowne, saw fit to forget he did anything 'arty' and history is left without proof of many of his works- often ascribed to Somers or Dodgson- inconclusively.

During the Spring of 1862 visit, Dodgson would have predominantly witnessed a female driven melee- a gaggle of squabbling chaotic social whirls- of maids praised for their beauty rather than their domesticity, a constant stream of visiting eminences, ( Henry Taylor- a Poet admired by Cameron- was also a Civil Servant, whose visit to stay en famille at Dimbola was heralded by Julia commanding the building of a bay window- just for him to enjoy during his visit. ) Benjamin Jowett ( Master of Balliol at Oxford ) was burning the mid-night oil at the other end of 'The Terrace' translating Plato, and the Thackeray girls and soldiers from Redoubt Fort came and went.

Most annoyingly probably to Dodgson, was that Julia had the gall to set up home, slap-bang next door to Tennyson and was brazenly creating a Salon akin to those now becoming fashionable in London Society- those that Dodgson had not been invited into.

Little Holland House ( in Holland Park West London ) was Julia's former stomping ground. Hosted by her sister Sara Prinsep, with pet artist G.F Watts in residence- the exclusion of Dodgson was further insensced by Watts courting of one of Charles child-friends, the actress Ellen Terry.

The Duchess of Argyll ( also feted by Tennyson ) had also adopted the previously French Fashion of the 'Literary Salon', and now Julia Margaret Cameron was fast becoming the 'Madame de L'Etang' of the Bay, with Tennyson as her 'Chateaubriand'. More-over- Dodgson was not invited to table!

His visit in 1864- as 'Alice' was getting the finishing touches begore being sent to print, found him person non grata with Tennyson, and at Julia's house- the Woman was now a 'Photographer'!

To cap it all- Watts had married Dodgson's fair maiden Ellen Terry in January that year- she aged 16, he twenty years older.

Ellen passed difficult days at Freshwater, not feeling the love of the older set; she preferred to run amok with the Tennyson boys, climbing trees and play-fighting. Ultimately, Watts sent her back to her parents, advised by Julia's sisters ( the 'Catty Pattle sisters' as unkindly named. )

Julia and her sisters were very well known in Society. Famed for their artistry in society,( Sara ) their beauty ( Virginia ) and talent ( Julia- also called the 'Bas-bleu'-Blue-stocking ) they also came in for un-kind gossip about their heritage.

Granny had lived at Versailles, the daughter of a man widely supposed to be Madame de Pompadours lover. Julia and her siblings spent much of their formative years there. More-over, the girls dark skin, and predilection for chattering together in Hindi and French, wearing brightly coloured self-made Bohemian velvet garb that eschewed the fashionable Crinoline- gave spite to gossip that the 'Pattle' surname was merely a got-up version of the common 'Patel' low caste one.

These ladies could not have been more unlike Dodgson's own mild-mannered un-married ( except for one ) sisters.

The way they strode through society, seemingly unheeding of the strategies Dodgson had to negotiate at Oxford, must have rankled with our snobbish Mathematician.

They charmed, and included who-so-ever they liked! But, Dodgson was sent home for supper...

So, let us now see how Dodgson composited these experiences in 'Through The Looking Glass'

Em, here follows four pages of un-masking. Tomorrow we are on the Edward Lear bit.

Enough for now, sleep tight.

Your ever-loving Grand-mother, GiGi xxx

Alice aforethought.

Dearest Em,

Hopping in and out of Dimbola today, up and down the lane in the bright sunshine it's half-term- and the Bay is beginning to wake up for the season ahead...

What was Plumbly's Hotel, these days is called 'The Fellowship' and I can see from here families setting off for the beach, or up to the Needles on a long trek over Tennyson Down.

It isn't so different a scene to the one that Dodgson saw himself when he was staying here, just one thing that helps me to imagine his imagination running amok...

When Julia Margaret Cameron held Bohemian Court at Dimbola, it was noisy ( as it is now ) with people rushing hither and thither all-about a photographic mission, or an esteemed visitor expected
( again not dissimilar, ) however we might see Lewis Carroll's personage today as one which might command some attention. That's because we are looking backwards from the point of view of his success.

The Victorian reality was somewhat different...

Chapter Two

'Trying to Lionise'

When Dodgson first visited Freshwater Bay on April 13th 1859, this would be the second rather 'engineered' visit to see Tennyson at his Farringford home- something he refutes ( a little too vehemently ) in a letter dated May 11th of the same year to his Cousin William:-

" Wilfred ( Charles' brother ) must have basely misrepresented me if he said that I followed the Laureate down to his retreat, as I went, not knowing he was there, to stay with an old college friend at Freshwater. Being there, I had the inalienable right of a freeborn Briton to make a morning call, which I did, in spite of my friend Collyns having assured me that the Tennysons had not yet arrived."

Before the Alice stories were thought of, Dodgson had studied Tennyson's work, paying close attention to any letters he 'might' have written to The Times, and scribing a clever parody of 'Two Voices' a Tennyson poem- which he turned into 'Three Voices' in 1856. It wasn't uncommon for poets to parody each other- but Dodgson did this with a high and mighty twist- there were three voices in the poem- not two- so Dodgson showed himself in a superior manner.

Apparently Tennyson was a bit 'stung' by this, but he also had to deal with a lot of this stuff, and he still allowed Dodgson to photograph his family in 1857.

At Freshwater, it seems, the Poet felt inclined to be cordial. Emily his wife was unwell, so he used this as a reason for sending Dodgson away, and not extending a dinner invitation. However Dodgson turned up for tea, and supper the next night- and even managed to squeeze in a morning visit- extracting some lines of poetry from Lionel.

Dodgson's self-confessed forte was what he called 'lionising', which meant that he ingratiated himself first with the children ( with whom he always lost his speech impediment ) and in doing so- scored emotional blackmail points with the parents.

In April of 1862, Dodgson was back at Farringford again, meeting Benjamin Jowett there, whom he had been verociously writing 'squibs' about at Oxford. All that Emily Tennyson says of this time in her somewhat 'sanitised' diary is 'the Henry Taylors & their daughters & Mr Dodgson here at this time & we see them often'. Not so much of Alfred though- as Charles records in his letter to a sister following the holiday ' I have seen hardly anything more of Mr Tennyson- and day-time does not seem propitious to getting much conversation out of him'.
He did manage to catch up with the two boys Hallam and Lionel on the beach and teach them how to fight 'The Battle of Waterloo', and he did give Lionel a pen-knife which concerned Emily. He had also photographed Emily with her sons unsuccessfully in Emily's eyes, who demanded all copies destroyed.
By August 1862, ( after the famous Oxford boating picnic that gave birth to Alice in Wonderland ) Tennyson sent a strong arrow across Dodgson's bow, concerning Charles' pirated copy of early verse published only in America, he records:- 'The sale of the American reprint of Tennyson's early poems is objected as an infringement of copyright. Wrote to Tennyson begging permission to keep the book.'

When Dodgson visited again for three weeks in 1864, the snub was complete, he was not invited to Farringford, and had to content himself at the 'Court of Queen Julia' at Dimbola instead. For photography assignment, he was allowed the Tradespeople- 'The Gardener and the Carpenter.'

Later, at the time he was putting 'Through the Looking Glass' to bed, the quarrel escalated tremendously. Dodgson had not taken his place properly amongst the rebuked. He wrote to Tennyson requesting permission to show poetry and a manuscript that Tennyson had allowed to be set to music- 'to be shown to his friends'.
Tennyson somewhat grandiously decided he had not quite gotten the point, and accused Dodgson of not being a 'Gentleman'. Long-held Hero-worship, and presumably scorn combined in Dodgsons mind and imagination.

Here we begin our un-masking of characters...



Enough for today, my Emily. The next two pages are all-about the unmasking. We shall pick up tomorrow at Julia's house, and how Dodgson found the motley crew!

Sleep tight little one, your ever-loving Grand-mother, GiGi xxx

Elegant Economy...

Or- here's another tangent I've gone off on.

Dearest Emily,

Whilst setting about my currently pressing quest on the book-hatching front- this being why Charles Dodgson a.k.a Lewis Carroll felt so aggrieved towards many of his peers- I decided to investigate further  as to the social stratagems and matters economical during the time of my interest.

Et voila at the Bookroom, a volume takes my eye:-

" A hundred Glorious Years " by Mrs C.S Peel

Starting with 1820, this book travels the decades detailing the social and domestic life of a century.

What fascinates me today, is just how socially mobile the 1850's to 70's were in particular.

In the 1820's 'Birth' had been everything socially. The aristocracy still maintained a sharp social difference to great county families. However, the emergence of the 'Oxford Movement' and with a sworn religious up-bringing; the canny family could keep up the supremancy of the Fashion for convention ( i.e, that everyone must behave like everyone else ) whilst contriving and upwardly mobile
position.

As example my chosen Mysterion- Mr Dodgson;

Charles' father was dubbed as the 'Eternal Curate'. The Rev C.Dodgson's home was fairly typical of what we are exploring.
A  Vicar could command an income that was deemed acceptable for marriage. £400 a year, plus an equivalent dowry from the wife, would keep five servants and therefore 'appearances' up.
Families, often with five or more children, would then struggle with constant planning, contriving and going without, in order to educate them and live in the society of their equals.

The advent of the railway popularised travels further afield than a twenty-five mile drive by carriage, and houses were expected to entertain for the total of one to two months a year. The cost was recouped by visiting others homes throughout the season.

This was done as lavishly as the familial purse allowed- 'Elegant Economy'.

Mrs Gaskell's ladies of 'Cranford' were prime examples of this maxim, their decanters filled with wines ( for guests, seldom touched otherwise.) Gooseberries and currants were gathered by the ladies of the house for syllabub, and wine that was left-over from a previous dinner party ( which may have been five months ago ) was examined, and if proven passable- added to a fresh bottle brought up from the cellar.

This kind of genteel exercise in 'not showing your slip' went on at all social levels.

One Lady of 'good birth' where means did not deem them to live in the same way as their fellows, throughout the season lived in Eaton Square, kept a carriage and gave dinners. In the summer the front windows were papered- the family went out of town.
In reality, they dismissed the servants, ceased to job a carriage and inhabited two or three rooms at the back of the house, were waited on by a charwoman and lived on toast, tea and poached eggs, their letters being forwarded from a country address.

Charles Dodgson was a child of parents who strove for a good education for him and his many siblings.
Extraordinairily gifted at mathematics, but not disposed to studying hard- he breezed Oxford and attained honours. He was offered a Lecturers position in Mathematics, which meant a salary of about £70 a year. At this time this was a popular choice ( comparable perhaps to a contemporary sabbatical ) whilst one decided one's path. Thomas Carlyle did the same in Edinburgh whilst he wrestled with his religious beliefs. )

A Fellowship was offered to Dodgson, upon condition that he did not marry, and took holy orders. This must have seemed financially attractive to the Reverend's son- though he too struggled with divinity- and a stammer that made him anxious about reading sermons.
However smart and admirable a clever Mathematics Fellow of Oxford may seem to us now, at the time it was Art that held lofty intellectual prowess.
Parliamentarians were seconded by Lord Lansdowne from poets, painters and writers. Lord Somers ( married to Julia Margaret Cameron's sister Virginia ) was 'press-ganged' by Lansdowne into government, so his career as a painter and photographer was put firmly on the shelf.

Mathmatical Dodgson didn't have much social cachet, and felt the need for another social string to his bow. What better way to get up close and personal with the peers he wished to impress, than to ingratiate them via the new-fangledart of photography?

In 1855, years before 'Alice in Wonderland' was written, he and Reginald Southey ( son of Robert am ex-poet laureate ) went together to Covent Garden where Dodgson bought his first camera for fifteen shillings. Of which, dear Emily, more another time.

What I have enjoyed most Em, in this little soujourn into 'Elegant Economy' is how the whole idea contrasts with todays 'Facebook-pretty', Twitter-friendly espoused aspiration or political or social exascerbation is set to attract the 'likes'- minded towards them.
It's all pretty socially democratic.
Unsettled attempts at re-settling in unsettled times.
But, uncertainty is an ally.
Just as it was for the Victorians with the scenery of Napoleonic and Crimean wars, the French revolution, economic paranoia, social upheaval and social conscience.
There's a lot for us to learn today from the previously considered 'stuffy' Victorians. But here, I may be prejudiced in seeing them in this way. It's a generational thing.

As a child of the 11 plus exam, by passing and going to a 'Grammar school' my achievement rather dampened any literary hunger or appreciation. Shakespeare had to be learned by 'rote' and poetry was an all too gloomy affair with 'modern-verse' often focussed upon the horror of the two world wars.

Though I chose English Literature for A-level, I dumped it within six months and headed for the fashion industry where my hunger fort learning was satiated throughout my twenties.

In my thirties, I was woken up to Shakespeare by the redoubtable Dorothea Alexander I have told you of previously. I was ordered to 'put away my spines' as she sat me down on a kneeler beside her whilst I read aloud. The penny dropped and the stories suddenly became alive and related to the world around me.

As do the Victorians for me now, and what we can learn from them...

I rather like 'Elegant Economy' Emily, I think it's rather truthful.

I have decided anyhow that my recycled dogs, car, bicycle, clothing and I'd better say 'upcycled' husband, should indeed qualify as an elegant economy!


Adoringly yours,

GiGi xxx