Autograph Letter Signed ('Philip H Calderon.') from Philip Hermogenes Calderon, member of the St John's Wood Clique, to fellow-artist John Callcott Horsley, describing a trip to the 'dissolute city' of Paris.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin neat strip of paper mount at head of third page. The sense of humour for which the St John's Wood Clique was known is reflected in the letter, which begins: 'Marks, Storey and I have just returned from Paris, (to which dissolute city we went to see the "Salon") and after a hard course of study of pictures, frescoes, elaborate "menus" at Champeaux and female costume reduced to its simplest form at Offenbach's Theatre - (where it chiefly consists of a belt with a few small coins hanging about) here we are home again - to Virtue, Simplicity and Work!' He is sorry to be late replying: Horsley's friend's drawing is a good one, and he has 'many friends better able than myself to advise him'. 'The sending in is to-morrow and so, good luck to him - I am sure he thoroughly deserves it.' Calderon writes that he and his colleagues were all very sorry to learn the cause of Horsley's absence from the last meeting: 'it was badly attended - besides yourself - Ward and Leighton were absent - but very interesting, as Cope brought forward his motion'. Calderon has 'seriously studied the "lighting" at the Salon', and wants to 'try it in one room here'. He ends by asking: 'Will you back me up?'