Friday, March 29, 2013

The story so far:

A young woman of my acquaintance, who wishes to avoid the unflattering glare of publicity, has asked me to pass on the following information. She has been charged with the disposal of her great-aunt's effect following that lady's decease. Among the odds and ends in her attic was a locked tin box; the key has only recently turned up, and the contents of the box disclosed ... or have they? At some time in its history the box has suffered from inundation, possibly in sea-water, and the contents, mostly papers, have become damp. Many pieces have become stuck to one another, and such individual items as have been separated have been found to be either illegible, where they bear handwriting, or to have surface damage rendering the print incomplete.

However, with the advice of a professional conservator, the young woman hopes -- indeed, is confident -- that much of the papers will yield their secrets in the fullness of time. The above photograph is an encouraging example. She believes it is probably the likeness of her 19th century ancestress, Mrs Hilda Norris, who, according to family legend, enjoyed a brief celebrity among the 'Freshwater Circle' at Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight. I shall be allowed to publish selected items as they become available. Watch this space!
In 1853 the 16-year-old daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray, Anny Thackeray, visited Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight. On discovering the highly creative nature of the other guests she was moved to ask,
'Is there no one who is commonplace here?
Is everybody either a poet, or a genius,
or a painter, or peculiar in some way?'

This blog sets out to celebrate the life and times of Mrs Hilda Norris of Yarmouth, the only commonplace person to cross the threshold of Dimbola Lodge.

Color: #fff2cc => #ECE2CB