[ Blandford Fletcher and Stanhope Forbes, Newlyn School artists. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Blandford Fletcher') from Fletcher to Forbes, on the occasion of his father's death, discussing the low state of his fortunes and health.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. A splendid long letter in a close hand, revealing and informative, written a year after Fletcher had completed his masterpiece 'Evicted', painted at Steventon, and the first painting acquired by Queensland Art Gallery in 1895. Addressed to 'My dear Forbes', the letter begins: 'Your letter reached me yesterday having been sent on from home to the above address | Yes! Indeed you have my deepest sympathy. I was truly grieved to learn the sad news in respect of your poor father and I have genuine feeling for those who besides yourself have lost one of so kindly and affectionate a nature, your poor mother most particularly so, to whom your father's loss must be a terrible keenness[.] Will you express to Mrs Forbes the deep sympathy I have for her, also to your brother and you old chap'. He is glad to her from him, despite the circumstances, and to see himself classed amongst Forbes's 'intimés, to speak to me of your poor old dad as you have done'. From the Forbes papers, from which other Newlyn items are offered separately. He continues with his own news: 'I have been here only a week, having been the greater part of the past summer further down the G.W.R. Poor old and Osborne & I have been working together. The former is as ever only perhaps “a sadder and a wiser man” for reasons which I could occupy you with on this sheet of paper but later on without breach of confidence I can give you. Osborne is pretty much the same as yore. We all three often talked of you and old Tayler and others belonging to the old crowd.' He is alone in Steventon and 'it is terrible dull but I shall climb out verhy soon now and return home for Xmas when I shall hope to see you'. He complains that the 'particular tide which when taken at the flood leads on to fortune keeps a very long way off' for him. 'I can boast of nothing whatever, the water is very low always & has now been so for two years and 3 months, that time being the exact period since I registered a sale of any description. Since the painting of those “boneyards” in Cheshire three summers ago I have not indeed made so much as a penny piece.' He hopes and presumes that Forbes can 'tell a better tale', having seen his 'Philharmonics' in the 'Graphic' ('It looked stunning, but not so stunning as the picture of course.'). He has 'done another 5 footer. A thing! But then I feel so put to it to know what to do & how to pull in a little coin, and the more one bothers about such matters the worse goes the work.' He complains that his 'baltitude increases slowly but surely and everybody says I have got much thinner which is highly probable for I weight a stone lighter than I did when with you chaps at Newlyn, but I'll try to look the same sort of rooster before I come to see you, as of former times'.