Well, this is the last push on these signatures in Polly Barnard’s Birthday Book c. 1888 and onwards.
A quick recap, Polly lived in the Broadway enclave (Gloucestershire) of fashionable artists of the time – John Singer Sargent, Frank Davis Millet, Alfred Parsons, the Alma-Tademas, Paul César Helleu. Also included were many caricaturists and portrait painters as well as their models. Polly’s father, Fred Barnard, was an illustrator for Dickens. They also lived in Hampstead, London.
So the names Polly diligently collected in her Birthday Book (given to her on 14th birthday) are an insight into her world.
I very much want to research the book as much as possible but I’m having problems with these last few signatures. Your research last time was invaluable and achieved a great deal but I need more help, please.
G. H. or G. K. Fullwood / Tallwood / Tullwood
(I think it is ****wood)
This one…. I am stumped. I know the firs tword is Alfred but is that Jr at the end? Look at the capital A for Alfred. If the surname begins with A, it doesn’t match. Elfraby?
Back again. Marie, Maris, a really badly written Mary?
The initials. Are the M. Wedgwood? John Singer Sargent painted “Mrs Robert Wedgwood and Mary (Halsey) Wedgwood was born in 1827 and married to Robert Wedgwood. That would work.
This is a difficult one too. Margaret H. Derrell, Serrell. What is the capital letter of her surname?
Now, considering this gentleman’s handwriting is so precise, what are his initials? V. C. ? I can find no record of a V. C. Miles.
I am stuck on Sadie‘s surname. HELP! Watere / Natere / Matere
Another Wedgwood. Looks like a P. N. but there are not P. N. Wedgwood’s that I can find.
These are the children of Mary Wedgwood. Husband Robert was dead by 1888.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas. Please help. I am desparate here.
In other news, everyone is doing fine in their rugs or not, etc. The weather remains vile, which is why I am concentrating on transcribing and researching the Birthday Book. It has been fascinating and very worthwhile.
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June 17th
It looks like Marie Mies to me. I am a member of Family Search (a free genealogy website run by the Church of the Latterday Saints).
So I looked up possible Marie/Maria Mileses, bearing in mind the date at the beginning of the book and the lovely sketch which indicates that the signature is that of an artist. I found a possible candidate:
Marie Miles
Estimated birth date 1873. She’d have been too young for the very accomplished sketch in 1888, I think, but there is nothing to say the signature couldn’t have been later.
This Marie was born at St Leonard’s, Sussex and at the 1901 census lived at Kensington, London.
Occupation: ARTIST
Also on the census were Hamilton Miles, aged 62, occupation: Living on own means, and Louisa Miles, mother
Can’t find her on WikiTree.
Is it possible that the signatures are all of fairly notable people?
Brilliant! Well done. That’s exactly what I was looking for. Perfect. Thank you, Judith x
Now please can you find
September 23rd V. C. Miles Esq. R.N.
I have been working on these since you posted them. 1) G (K) (H) (N)/(T) (F) (J) [I included ‘j’ for 2 reasons: It looks as if the 1st letter of the surname actually begins over that 2nd letter representing the middle name. ] Then (a) (u)/(ll) (el)/(ward) (wood) (a) (u) (nd) so G K Talland or Tallwood or Tallund or Tallward. 2) The surname is tough, but trying to imitate the pen strokes, there are only 2 letters I think fit: M & Y. The 2nd letter is confusing because of that hesitation in the stroke: it could be the e or r because of the hesitation. I think that it would be really unusual for a person to hesitate on his signature so I would go with r. But I can’t think of a Mr surname so maybe it is Me because if there is a consonant, it should be followed by a vowel; conversely the Y could the vowel followed by an an r. The next letter is an a or a u or an n. Then l, h, or b. Finally y. Now, if this last letter is y, look, the downstroke rises backward like the first y if that first letter is y.
#3 I still like Marie Miles. #4 I think ism Wedgwood. #5 It could be a D, but I don’t think so. How about L or S ? e or n, w, or r r or m. Lewell? Serrell? Snell? #6 V C or VG or V (very weird) l ( if Alfred can make backward downstroke y’s, anything goes). #7 To me, Sadie Waters. #8 Why would someone make a 2 stroke P, but I can think of no other letter to substitute. Then N, V, or M . Okay, with the ‘kids’ listed, could this be a woman who is very creative & makes a very weird lower case E [‼️] & then an equally weird L.; however, I don’t think so- I think that second initial is M because she starts out as the 1st 2 strokes in the W of Wedgwood, but she sputters out into an m. Wait! I think I know what might have happened: Ms Wedgwood started her E, but her pen went dry for whatever reason & she did not complete that last ascending stroke at the bottom of the e. There is a teeny, tiny hook that starts to ascend & then stops or could even continue where she places the period. This this lady like most of her sisters is Ms E M Wedgwood. [If I am stone cold wrong with any of this,I apologize profusely]. And, yes, #1 is Jr in my book.
– Search “capital letters in script” or “in cursive” and you’ll see that some of the letters then don’t look much like they do now. The capital L and T, for example, could look very similar.
– V L or V C or possibly V S Miles esq. R. N. The “R. N.” could stand for Royal Navy.
– While that doesn’t look much like an “s” at the end of Sadie’s name, Francis Davis Millet painted a portrait of Sadie P. Waters in 1888.
As I see them … possibly:
Fallwood
Margaret H. Sewell
J. G. Miles Esq.
Sadie Waters
P. M. Wedgwood
I haven’t looked any further but wonder if it’s….. J. C. Miles, Sadie Hatere and Margaret H Jenill. Just my suggestions
I believe that’s Sadie Waters , an American portrait painter who studied in Paris and who “formally posed for Sargent”.
Oh that is perfect. thank you x
I am so impressed. Now work out all the rest please!
Maria Miles- British painter married to Colonel Charles Miles.1826-1897
https://www.kwag.org.uk/2024/07/08/a-family-affair-maria-miles-artwork/#:~:text=A%20collection%20of%20interesting%20drawings,the%20east%20of%20Kingsweston%20Hill.
Thank you. Keep going xx
Yes, I sent that yesterday (please see above).