The Cotman Letters 1834

Addressed to Mr. Jno: Jos Cotman.
Feb 27th/34.

Dear Jack
I thank you for your letters and notes and for the advice contained in them, I shall as before said follow some of it, in fact I had hoped to tell you I had commenced an attack on rustics, had delayed writing that I might say in the beginning of my letter I had made a capital study, but was disappointed of the subject. I spent last evening at Dixons, till Geldart came for me (unexpectedly) to sleep at Thorpe and draw (a gipsy boy he had found) in the morning early. The young rascal did not come however so I had my walk for nothing, as far as drawing was concerned. Geldart made a drawing of the boy’s head before he came for me. He brought it to show as a specimen, and to hear if I would sleep at Thorpe for such a subject. His drawing was very fine – the character of the boys head, between Sir Jos. Reynolds and Murillio, quite foreign, large eyes, dark skin, and plenty of hair.
You tell me to keep up my spirits and keep the game alive here. I promise you I do both. I do not despair or anything like it, Oh no, I do very well. I have another pupil, Mr. Foster, the one who learned of Father. He is going abroad at Midsummer and wants to be put in the way of using color. That I expect to bother me rather, but I have made up my mind to know all about it and have color at my finger’s ends. I shall on Tuesday commence a drawing for exhib[i]t[io]n and shall make it as good as possible to deserve if possible the comparison you have made. I quite agree with you my drawings are different from any one’s else, and as far as drawing