Ethel Hatch
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17 May 1869
Ethel Hatch | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of a three-year-old Ethel by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in 1872. | |
| Born | Ethel Charlotte Chase Hatch 17 May 1869 Oxford, England |
| Died | 3 April 1975 (aged 105) London, England |
| Alma mater | Oxford High School, Oxford Slade School of Art |
| Occupations | Artist, painter |
| Known for | Paintings; Association with Lewis Carroll |
| Parent(s) | Edwin Hatch and Evelyn Hatch |
| Relatives | Beatrice Hatch (sister) Evelyn Maud Hatch (sister) |
Ethel Charlotte Chase Hatch (17 May 1869 – 3 April 1975) was a British artist known for her floral scenes and for her association with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll. She was a society figure, belonging to the British upper class; she was the daughter of Rev. Edwin Hatch, as well as the sister of Beatrice Sheward Hatch and Evelyn Maud Hatch.
Ethel Charlotte Chase Hatch was born as the youngest daughter of Evelyn and Edwin Hatch. Ethel had two sisters, being Beatrice and Evelyn Maud, the latter presumably being named after her mother. She also had a brother named Arthur Herbert Hatch (b. 1864), who was House Prefect at his school, Malvern College.[1] The family lived in a Gothic-style house built in 1867 on Banbury Road in Norham Gardens, North Oxford, England. The house was described as having "arched windows, a tower, and a turret complete with a statue niche towards the top." Neighborhood friends included Julia and Ethel Huxley, daughters of Thomas Henry Huxley and the aunts of Aldous Huxley. Other acquaintances in the neighbourhood who visited the Hatch family included Bonamy Price, Mark Pattison, and Benjamin Jowett.[2]
Ethel's father Edwin was a theologian; author; a vice-principal of St. Mary Hall, Oxford; and later a university reader in Ecclesiastical history.[3] The Hatch family moved in "stimulating circles", including friendships with Edward Burne-Jones, Algernon Charles Swinburne and William Morris.[4]
Ethel attended Oxford High School, Oxford in Oxfordshire, a private girls school. She graduated at age 17 before going on holiday to St Leonards-on-Sea with her mother for three months. While on holiday, her mother continued to give her lessons to expand her education.[5]
Relationship with Dodgson
Ethel, along with her sisters, was introduced to Dodgson through mutual acquaintances. Dodgson cultivated "the friendship of many little girls", often photographing them.[6] Dodgson's friendships with these children focused on upper-middle-class families, making sure "he did not seek very low-class children as friends." Ethel's family were of an upper middle class station and they subsequently became friends with Dodgson.[7]
Ethel's mother gave permission to Dodgson to photograph her three girls and Dodgson was considered a family friend. Beatrice, rather than Ethel or Evelyn, was considered the "long term favorite of Dodgson."[8] Dodgson's friendship with Ethel continued for a number of years, however.[9]
Along with clothed photo shoots, Dodgson also photographed Ethel nude. She was considered one of Dodgson's muses. The photos that Dodgson took of nude prepubescent girls has been the cause of much discussion and speculation in contemporary times.[10]