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"Our" Esther Kenworthy ?
MESSAGE:
If you do a Google Book Search for "Esther Kenworthy" you [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LZJQAAAAMAAJ&q=%22esther+kenworthy%22&dq=%22esther+kenworthy%22&lr=&as_brr=0&ei=34inR-jABYf2jgHC5uzkBg&pgis=1]find one reference[/url] .... She is mentioned in [i]The History of the Christmas Card [/i]By György Buday. (wasn't sure if this had been posted about before or not?) They only show a "snippet" from the book which reads: "Esther Kenworthy (H. & F., 1881). Winner of a small prize at Com-" I believe 'H. & F." stands for [url=http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/xmas2/hildesheimer/index.html]Hildesheimer & Faulkner[/url], a publisher that "sponsored a prize exhibition in 1881 and awarded £2,000 in prize money." Here is another link to a webpage with information about [url=http://www.scrapalbum.com/xmasp10a.htm]Hildesheimer & Faulkner[/url]. The Christmas card book has illustrations but I'm not sure if the one by "Esther Kenworthy" is included. Thought, though, it was interesting ... and the 1881 date would be correct since Nino and Esther didn't marry until 1883.
RESPONSES:
Other than the obvious curiosity, I used to collect cards like these; I should have a copy of the book next week.
The copy of the book I had ordered came this weekend and after a quick look through the only mention of "Esther Kenworthy" was the line already quoted: "Esther Kenworthy (H. & F., 1881). Winner of a small prize at Competition." Sadly, I didn't find an illustration.
The answer may be more in who else was listed as having their work printed by H & F. and seeing who repeats in the list of Waterhouse friends and acquaintances. I've just started looking through my copy ( just arrived) and when I started noticing the notation about the H & F competition being repeated by several names around Esther's, I headed to the back of the list to look for Whymper. Annette Whymper's work was also printed by Hildesheimer and Faulkner, Mrs. J.W. (Emily) Whymper's work printed by S. Hildesheimer - her work apparently very popular. Mrs. J.W. Whymper may be Charles' mother. Don't have the time to look through the book any more right now. Cathy, you may recognize more in your copy. A small prize? Yep, that's about right! ;) It probably didn't amount to much at all...some won 20 - 50 pounds...that was a good amount then.
From this webpage linked below: [quote]Hildesheimer & Faulkner, London Following the lead of other publishers, Hildesheimer & Faulkner sponsored a prize exhibition in 1881 and awarded £2,000 in prize money. They produced cards primarily in the 1880's, but continued as a manufacturer of postcards into the 20th century. Gleeson White writes: "…the dominant influences that show, are what one may call "popular academic" rather than "aesthetic" taste; that is to say, their bias has been toward the pictorial, rather than the purely decorative treatment."[/quote] [url=http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/xmas2/hildesheimer/index.html]Indiana University Card Exhibit[/url] Beatrix Potter would later submit drawings to them.
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