I need your help. Between us, I think we can succeed.
I was in my shed, looking for a book that I had inherited from my mother’s bookcase, when I came across a small leather and gilt bound book. I have had it for a while and never looked in it so didn’t know what was inside.
The book belonged to Marion Alice Barnard, also known as Polly.
This is John Singer Sargent’s sketch of Polly in preparation for the painting, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.
This is Polly’s birthday book and there are some fascinating names in there so of course I am now busy transcribing it. Most of the names I’ve worked out but there are a few I could do with some help, please.
(yes, John Singer Sargent)
Anyway, so here goes…. (ones in red are the ones I need help with)
Leonard Barwick (at the top)
****** Barnard – possibly Anne? (there is a Mary Anne in the family tree)
Ellen Terry (yes, The Ellen Terry).
N (?) Eyton Roller – is that an R or W (famous cricketer). Looking at it, I am now thinking that’s a W.
Ethel Margaret Baumer
Sybil Baumer
Mary Alice Miles
C (Charles) Trevor Roller (I think I’ve just worked that one out)
Absolutely no idea G. H Tallwood?
Again, no idea – Jennie Seloces?
Dear God, help me now….
Alfred …….
Ellen Vincent
J.M. Barrie (as in Peter Pan)
A close up if that helps.
L Barnard or L. C. Barnard?
First initial for Buchanan, please. J. B. Buchanan?
Mary Miles?
A. J. Boyd or an F.
Agnes Daden Caffin or Naden or Baden (according to Ancestry.com it’s Haden). I suppose that could be an H.
A difficult one – I think it is M. Wedgwood 1827, or maybe not or even W. Wedgwood
Go on, knock yourself out.
Lily Millet (wife of Francis Davis Millet, artist who died on Titanic)
Barre J. Bacon or Blare or ? J or S?
What a superb find. I am all of a quiver and not quite sure if it should be sent somewhere. I can’t believe that little book has been sitting in my bookshelf, ignored and full of amazing names.
Share this:
Discover more from My Shetland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Since it appears that Monster is asking very nicely for help (ahem, I can imagine his ‘help’ as both our big orange Toms just ran over my stomach as they chased one another), I will give all of this a go as I love decifering Victorian penmanship (the age of beautiful if creative & illegible calligraphy). Only one knee jerk reaction, for what it’s worth, do not send that book anywhere. If you want feedback from a rare book seller or a museum curator, all they will require are photocopies of the frontice piece which should include publisher & date of print & photocopies of the names in question.
Please tell Monster deciphering attempts will follow, but may be totally unhelpful. But hang onto that book even if you have a trip to a reference librarian for assistance.
I totally agree. It goes nowhere.
hi this is a fabulous find and it’s going to be very important to historians and art historians and others.
I strongly suggest even if you don’t intend to sell this treasure that you call up either Christies or sothebees and have somebody appraised the book for insurance purposes they will be able to help with the signatures as well.
what is delightful find!!
They will ask me to send it to them which I won’t.
Leonard Borwick, concert pianist
It’s just the ones in red.
Here are my guesses, some based on first impressions rather than intense study, as sometimes those seem more accurate.
#1: Looks like “Gene”
#2: “W”
#3 and #4: concur
#5: “Jessica Telores”
#6: no clue!
#7: “C.L.”
#8: “T”
#9: “Marie Miles”
#10: no clue
#11: My money’s on “Daden”
#12: concur
#13: “Besse T. Bacon”
Hi Frances, it seems to me that those names are in a variety of handwriting so I wonder if it is worth trying to find any facsimiles on ‘tinternet. It may be a valuable document!
1 I’ve looked up John Singer Sarant’s d.o.b – Jan 12th 1856. He died in 1925. Is this within his lifetime? See https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/John-Singer-Sargent/42B6194D4B522925/Signatures
for a look at a signature.
Therefore it is a fair assumption that Polly asked people to sign in the spaces for their birthdays. This could give useful clues.
It would be helpful to know what year she got the birthday book so that anyone who had died before then can be discounted.
2 The second signature is on January 27th so that was the birthday of whoever it was. It looks to me like “Gene Barnard”. I haven’t heard of anyone with that name but any Barnards will be related to several “Sandy Research Group” members.
3 I agree it looks like “W” Eyton Roller.
4 Looks like G K Fullwood. Can’t find any reference to the name. I wonder if the little horse drawing is significant.
I’ll try to get back to this later.
What a wonderful find. Thanks for sharing with us.
Still working. W Elton Roller, Charles Trevor Roller, Lily Millet, I think that the woman is Marie Miles, but the bird nest is not helpful ( I tried Miles in front of Robin & Chickadee but got nowhere), A _ Boyd could be J, T, or F, even a very strange I.
Will guess my way through the list, but this one seems likely:
W. Eyton Roller and C. Trevor Roller, because the famous cricketer William Eyton Roller had a brother Charles Trevor Roller.
What an incredible find! It might be very interesting if you could get to an Antiques Roadshow where they have experts on this kind of document. Good Luck.
Here’s another one: Leonard Borwick was an English pianist of the time, who played Bach, among other composers. (see the sketch by the name)
My guesses, of the ones I feel I can have a go at:
Gene Barnard
GH Fallwood, Falland, or Talland
Jennie Selous (which is a South African surname)
Looks like Alfred Araby with an f superimposed
Just C Barnard with an elaborated B
Marie Miles rather than Mary?
AF Boyd (I think a J would descend lower
Hi Frances, I contacted you a few years ago with my family tree..I’m a descendant of Edward Barnard & Caroline Chater too so I’m fascinated by your book!
I haven’t looked closely at the other names yet but I think the one that looks like C Barnard is actually Fred’s signature. I looked up Frederick Barnard, artist and that is identical to Fred’s , best wishes, Beverley
Oh that would be lovely. I do hope it is. I will amend soonest.
So, here’s my guesses (hope they help):
– Leonard Borwick (English pianist who played Bach and a fan of art)
– George Barnard (relative?)
– Ellen Terry (aka Dame Alice Ellen Terry, a famous actor who John Singer Sargent painted)
– William Eyton Roller (cricketer)
– Ethel Margaret Baumer
– Sybil Baumer
– Mary Alice Miles
– Charles Trevor Roller (cricketer and William Eyton Roller’s brother)
– G.H. Tullwood / G.K. Tullward / Fullwood / Tallwood. There was a Charles Fullwood, who painted horses, but the sketch looks primitive for a professional painter. Is that a horse or a dog?)
– Jennie Seloces / Junnie (last name could start with an I, and S, or possibly a T)
– Alfred Fuby / Frusky / Yrusky / Yruby (If “f” if the snd letter in the first name, the second letter in the last name associated with looks like an f and the first letter can’t be another A. The the first letter could be a Y.)
– Ellen Vincent
– J.M. Barrie / J.M. Rorrie (a J, I, R, possibly K)
– L Barnard / C Barnard / C L Barnard (probably a relative who’s a young woman. Singer Sargent painted Frederick Barnard’s daughter Dorothy, but that doesn’t look like a D)
– J.B. Buchanan / G. B. Buchanan
– Leigh Hunt
– Marie Miles
– A. J. Boyd (possibly an F)
– Agnes Daden Caffin / Dadeu / Naden / Nadem / Haden
– M Medyrood 1827 / M Wedgwood / M Medyrool
– Liliy Millet (Elizabeth “Lily” was painted by John Singer Sargent and wrote to Ellen Terry)
– Besse L. Bacou / Besse L. Bacou (an L or an I or possible on old-style S)
The Alfred —– may be Alfred Graby, born 1883, died 1961; see Find a Grave Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/223698865/alfred-graby
Or could be Alfred Graley: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24580507/alfred_arthur-graley
Rev Alfred Arthur Graley – although he died at New York.
The one that seems at first to be “C Barnard” is actually a clever incorporation of F and Barnard and it must be Fred Barnard’s signature. (It was the beautiful accompanying sketch that put me on to it.) There is a website called Wikimedia Commons with an almost identical signature by Fred:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fred_Barnard_signature.jpg
You’re absolutely right about Fred. I should’ve known that!
Alfred is a conundrum. I think there is a J at the end, as in Jr.
Wow! What a find…The wonderful sketch of Polly alone would make it a treasure…
Some of those hands are SO like my late grandmother’s…