Brian Hatton

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Transcript: Medieval cavalry Letter

Medieval Cavalry

St Helen’s Road
Swansea.

Dec 9th 1900

My Dear Mother,
I haven’t gone back to school yet, but I think I shall go back on Monday.  The exams begin on Wednesday so Phil told me.  Mrs. L. is coming back on Monday next.  They have had the dining room re-done during her absence.  I have started and nearly finished a water-colour of medieval cavalry in retreat.  I got the idea from ‘The Black Arrow’ by Robert Lousi Stevenson.  It is a very decent book about the time of Richard Duke of Glouseter, Stevenson rarely or never writes trash.  It is like this:

[Sketch]

All the attitudes are artistic and correct so there won’t be any bother about them + the drawing is allright as far as I can see.  I have discovered that if you use Cobalt + Light Red instead of Brown it is allmost impossible to get you painting black looking especially if you put the light red on pure + then when that’s dry lay on your cobalt pure it has a very fine effect at least so I think.  I don’t quite understand what boys Marjorie has been playing football with.  I have no news at all so ta-ta.  My best love to all.
Your loving son,
Brian.