Scarce and desirable drawing of two young girls accomplished by Dodgson in ink with light pencil touches on an off-white 6.5 x 7 sheet, signed with his stylized monogram in the lower left, “CLD,” dated March 1871. Dodgson sketches a youthful girl seated with a book in her lap, reading to a younger girl settled on the ground and leaning against her knee. A notation in another hand on the reverse reads: “Mabel & Alice, by C. L. Dodgson—author of Alice in Wonderland.” Handsomely cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 12 x 13.5. Light foxing and toning to borders (the image largely unaffected), otherwise fine condition.
The subjects of this drawing are most likely the daughters of Bartholomew Price, a mathematician who taught and mentored Dodgson—in fact, the Mad Hatter's nonsense rhyme, 'Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at!,’ allegedly refers to Price, who was affectionately known as 'Bat' by his friends. In an entry in Dodgson's diary for April 4, 1871, he mentions having begun the other day ‘a picture of Mabel and Rose Price.’ Between their ages—nine and five, respectively—and the corresponding dates of the diary entry and sketch, it is likely that this is the drawing mentioned. It is believed that Dodgson was introduced to symbolical algebra while studying under Price in 1854, a subject that had a clear influence on the mathematical games and logic puzzles sprinkled throughout Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Already an extremely desirable sketch of one of Dodgson’s favorite subjects, this close association with his personal life and his most famous work elevate it to the truly remarkable. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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