Manuscript letter from Lady Ishbel Aberdeen to Wilfrid Laurier
Date Published: 1911
Binding: No binding
LADY ABERDEEN GIFTING A DOG "PETER" TO LADY LAURIER
Lady Ishbel Aberdeen, Autograph Letter Signed, 4 pages, dated June 30, 1911, from Hotel Great Central N.W., on "Vice Regal Lodge, Dublin" letterhead. The present letter is addressed to Wilfrid Laurier, who was apparently in London at the end of June 1911. The letter deals with the patronage, thorough Ishbel Aberdeen, of a "long-coated dog" called "Peterbob", as a gift by Wilfrid Laurier to his wife, Lady Laurier.
"Dear Mr. Laurier I am enclosing you the certificate of registration of little "Peterbob" commonly called "Peter" with certificate also of transfer to Lady Laurier in the books of the Kennel Club. This will enable Lady Laurier to exhibit Peter if she so desires. I also enclose a memo as to the food to which Peter has been accustomed. These long-coated dogs always require a large proportion of meat in their diet. I will send on the pedigree and veterinary certificate. I do hope he will prove to be all that Sir Wilfrid wished for Lady Laurier. With best wishes for your voyage. Believe me Yours sincerely (signed) Ishbel Aberdeen
P.S. "I shall send Peter in his travelling kennel by a trustworthy servant tomorrow morning to be given direct to you, unless I receive any other instructions from Sir Wilfrid."
This letter is a nice link between important families in Canada and in Scotland.
Ishbel Maria (Marjoribanks) Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair was an author, philanthropist and women's rights advocate (1857-1939). She was the daughter of Dudley Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth. The Marjoribanks family were prominent Scottish landowners who claimed descent from King Robert the Bruce of Scotland and made their fortune in banking and finance. In 1877, she married John Hamilton-Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish politician. Ishbel accompanied her husband, as a Vice-Regal Consort, when he was appointed Governor General of Canada, from 1893 until 1898. A Montreal newspaper observed: "Lady Aberdeen has much more prominence that the average wife of a Governor-General, and in fact, much more is written about her and her work than about his Lordship". They travelled extensively throughout the country and "transformed the role of Governor General from that of the aristocrat representing the King or Queen in Canada to a symbol representing the interests of all citizens". In fact, in Canada she founded the Aberdeen Association to send books and papers to settlers in the Prairies, for which the Canadian Government gave free postage, organized the National Council of Women, became first sponsor of the Women's Art Association, and assisted in founding the Victorian Order of Nurses. Lady Aberdeen was also the first woman to address the House of Commons and the first woman to receive an honorary degree in Canada.
Very Good. Item #8368
$250.00 USD
$334.77 CAD