Eugénie Sladden & granddaughter

Studio portrait (at Geggs of Evesham) of Eugénie Sladden (1854-1916) with her first grandchild, Dorothy Mary Sladden (1915-1995).  Dorothy was born on 12th August 1915, the eldest of three children of Arthur Francis Savory Sladden, a doctor who was serving with the RAMC in France, and his wife, Mary Christabel (née Williams).

We know from a letter written by Eugénie on 26th November 1915 that the photo was to be taken on 30th November.  Arthur was in France and Mary was staying with her in-laws in Badsey.  Studio portraits of Dorothy alone and separate ones with her mother, grandfather and grandmother were taken and sent as Christmas gifts.  Only this photo with her grandmother is known to be still in existence.

Arthur was delighted to receive this and other photos, as he wrote on 26th December:  “I must thank you very much for the photograph of you and little Baby, I think it is a simply splendid one and I can’t look at it enough. All the photos of Baby and Mary are exceedingly nice, I can hardly decide which is the best one they show Baby in different aspects – all charming – she looks so alert and bright and if a little solemn that’s because she evidently felt it was a great occasion.”

George Sladden (Dorothy’s uncle and godfather) wrote to his mother on 26th December saying:  “Thank you very much for the postcard of you and Dolly Molly [nickname for Dorothy Mary]; I think it is altogether delightful.  Baby, in particular, is delicious – quite her best little self.  Tark [Arthur] must be very pleased with it.”  

Arthur wrote to his father on 2nd January 1916:  “The whole collection done by Gegg are delightful. I’m sure I miss a great deal in not being able to watch Dorothy in her rapid growth.”  And to his sister, Kathleen on 14th January 1916:  “I am very pleased with the set of photos I had at Xmas, don't you think them very nice …. the photo of Mother is very good indeed.  I think it's probably very good for them at home having Baby there to keep them young.  I do look forward so to seeing Mother and Father with their grandchild.”  To his mother on 23rd January 1916 he wrote:  “Most people will have been favoured with a view of her photograph, I think her more like her mother, that was my first impression on seeing the photos, but she has also a decidedly strong likeness to several of your babies.”

The photos of his baby daughter obviously sustained Arthur whilst serving abroad, as to Kathleen he wrote on 28th February 1916:  “I so enjoy looking at my little picture gallery of photos.  Baby looks rather solemn, and I can quite imagine she has "wondering" eyes as Father describes.”

Sadly, Eugénie Sladden died on 30th April, five months after the photo was taken, so did not get a chance to see Dorothy grow up or to meet the further ten grandchildren that were to be born.

We are grateful to Eric Rose for providing us with a copy of this photograph which was passed on to him by his mother, Doris Winifred Rose (née Jelfs), the youngest daughter of Fanny Caroline Jelfs who had been nurse to Arthur and some of his siblings in the 1890s.