ALS signed “C. L. Dodgson,” one page on black-bordered stationery, 4.5 x 7, March 17, 1875. Letter to “Dr. Gatty.” In full: “My brother is still unsettled as to a curacy: if you should be likely to have a vacancy ere long, I shall be very glad to know. Would you let me know how many photographs you wish for, & whether carte or cabinet, plain or vignette?” In fine condition, with light scattered foxing, some show-through from mounting remnants to corners and left border, and a small erased pencil notation to the bottom.
By the 1870s, Charles Dodgson had built a name for himself as a talented gentleman-photographer, making portraits of such notable figures as Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He excelled at the art and broadened his scope well beyond portraiture, creating beautiful landscape photographs, innovative still lifes, and whimsical narrative scenes, mostly involving young girls. He abruptly ceased photography in 1880 when he felt that keeping his studio had become too much work, admitting that the rapidly advancing technology was moving beyond him. Out of the thousands of images he created, fewer than 1,000 have survived. An excellent letter involving one of the author’s greatest passions, which has become increasingly popular with the passing of time. RR Auction COA.
