If the letters in question were not sent to
Crossley, then who was the intended receiver? One of the major targets in the
author's sights was Richard Cobden, whom she expressed a wish to 'work up', as
we saw in the letter to Tottie Fox. He qualifies in all
the respects that Crossley does not, as the object of the unidentified package
of letters. As a Liberal M.P., he would have had a London base and would have
been familiar with the more influential sections of society. Charles Street,
Berkeley Square is a short distance from Westminster, so it would have been
quite convenient for Cobden to call in at Watts's studio to view the painting.
His political credentials ensured that he was already on friendly terms with
Salis Schwabe and would have been able to pass on the messages requested by the
writer without any trouble. There is no surviving letter written by Mrs Gaskell
to Cobden up to that point and previous letters mention only Mrs Cobden, so the
tone of the opening and closing sentences of the letter under discussion,
apologising for the 'liberty' taken in making contact with the reader, would be
perfectly appropriate in the circumstances. It is therefore not unreasonable to
suggest that Cobden would have been a much more likely correspondent than
Crossley. This theory is strengthened by our knowledge that Mrs Gaskell did write to Cobden on the subject of
the Watts painting, because his reply is preserved.
To be continued in the next post
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