[Gardening] Jekyll, Gertrude. Group of Three Autograph Letters, signed, to artist William Nicholson

1. Munstead Wood, January 4, 1921. One sheet, two pages. 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (121 x 197 mm) (sight). "Dear Mr. Nicholson, Many thanks for the private view cards - I shall hope to place them within- How I wish I could go myself to see others context... work besides the portrait which I should much have wished to see by daylight. I am so desperately- no doubt quite foolishly- but there it is-shy about anything to do with personal publicity that I am asking Mr. Hudson not to put me in C.L. The gallery is quite enough, where it will be more when merged in other pictures. The Whistlers book out here get but I shall expect it tomorrow & will return it to you in London before long. I did enjoy all your kindness & capital good fellowship. Yrs. sincerely, Gertrude Jekyll." Creasing from old folds. In mat and in frame, 10 x 13 in. (254 x 330 mm.) Unexamined out of frame.

2. Munstead Wood, January 6, 1921. One sheet, 4 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (114 x 190 mm.) "Dear Mr. Nicholson, The Whistlers book safe this morning- Again I find one of these little brass screws that I can only suppose belongs to your lamp. This time it was on the floor, & I felt it under my foot like... the Roseleaf- Mr. Hudson wishes so kindly and privately about the portrait in Country Life, that I feel obliged to relent. Yrs Sincerely G. Jekyll." White stain along top margin; creasing from old folds; in mat and in frame, 9 3/4 x 13 in. (248 x 330 mm.) Unexamined out of frame.

3. Munstead Wood, January 13, 1921. One sheet, 7 1/4 x 6 1/4 in. (184 x 159 mm). "Dear Mr. Nicholson, I send what Ned calls 'peonies' of praise of the picture. & am glad & proud, as your humble, passive auxiliary- If you... receive the press notices would you let me see any, that seem to you worth consideration? With many thanks I return your Whistler- the letters were so familiar to me that I must have had them before, but the 10 o'clock was new and beautiful. I wonder why his signature is always called a butterfly. It is a mixture of a pansy and a little... devil. The pansy stands for his wonderful sense of colour; the little devil for some of the rest of him, and he is careful to remind you that he has a sting in his tail. Yrs Sincerely, G. Jekyll." Creasing from old folds, white stains to left margin, in mat and in frame, 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. Unexamined out of frame. (318 x 292 mm).

Fine group of autograph letters by garden designer and author Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), to English artist William Nicholson (1872-1949). The portrait of Jekyll, completed in October 1920, is now in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

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Alasdair Nichol

EVP, Deputy Chairman

anichol@freemansauction.com 267.414.1211

Alasdair Nichol is Deputy Chairman of Freeman's. He previously served as Chairman of Freeman's, and he and two colleagues acquired the company in a friendly management buy-out in 2016.

He joined Freeman’s in 1999, and as an auctioneer of almost 30 years, has sold many significant collections, including The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art, The Lehman Brothers Collection, The Collection of Dorrance "Dodo" H. Hamilton, The Stanley Bard Collection: A Life at the Chelsea, and numerous works that set new world auction records. He was instrumental in establishing Freeman’s departmental fine sales and has spearheaded the company’s mission of showcasing single-owner collections.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he studied fine art at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He later graduated with a master's degree from the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1985, he embarked on his career in the auction world in Edinburgh before moving to Glasgow, where he organized the first sale of Scottish contemporary art at the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art. He subsequently moved to a flagship saleroom in London where he specialized in Modern and Impressionist art before transferring to New York as Head of Fine Art in 1997. Since 1998 he has been a familiar face on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

adamveil@freemansauction.com 267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

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[Gardening] Jekyll, Gertrude. Group of Three Autograph Letters, signed, to artist William Nicholson

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

[Gardening] Jekyll, Gertrude. Group of Three Autograph Letters, signed, to artist William Nicholson

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

[Gardening] Jekyll, Gertrude. Group of Three Autograph Letters, signed, to artist William Nicholson

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