[‘Christopher Marie St John’ [Christabel Gertrude Marshall], author and suffragist in menage à trois with Edith Craig and Clare Atwood.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘Christopher St. John.’), proposing an article to ‘Mr Walbrook’ of the Pall Mall Gazette

Author: 
‘Christopher Marie St John’, assumed name of Christabel Gertrude Marshall (1871-1960), author and campaigner for women’s suffrage, who lived in a ménage à trois with Edith Craig and Clare Atwood
Publication details: 
27 December 1913; 31 Bedford Street, Strand [London].
£120.00
SKU: 23994

The subject of the present letter is, as Marshall’s entry in the Oxford DNB explains, her ‘translation of a play by the first female dramatist, Hrotsvit. ‘Paphnutius’ was given a world première by Craig for the Pioneer Players in January 1914.’ The recipient, Henry Mackinnon Walbrook (1865-1941), was the drama critic of the Pall Mall Gazette. 2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, on dusty discoloured paper, with slight rust spotting from paperclip. She asks if he ‘could spare time’ to see her for a few minutes, as she thinks she could give him ‘some further information about the enclosed [not present] which would make an interesting article for the P. M. G.’ If Walbrook ‘cannot be bothered’ to write the article she can do so herself, ‘but I am anxious not to do this as the translation is my work’. She asks him to ‘telephone when I may see you’. As he has been ‘so kind in helping me on one or two other occasions’, she feels sure he will forgive her for ‘asking for your interest in this production, which really is worth [last word underlined] your interest’. Minuted in pencil at head of first page: ‘Passed on to F. A. H. Eyles for Interview.’