A letter from home

Marshall is best known for having been a partner in the famous firm of 'Fine Art Workmen', Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (see lot 95 for more information on his early career). During the early 1860s he produced some ten or eleven cartoons for stained glass, being represented in such important commissions as St Michael's, Brighton, St Martin's, Scarborough, and the east window of Bradford Cathedral. Marshall remained a partner of the firm until 1875, when it was re-organised under Morris’s sole ownership and Marshall was bought out.
Around this time Marshall appears to have returned to his artistic life, having resigned from his position as a surveyor in Tottenham. Between 1874 and 1877 he exhibited works at the Liverpool Autumn exhibition and at the Royal Academy. However, in 1877 he was chosen from a field of over 60 applicants as City Engineer for Norwich where he oversaw many important civic projects. The move to Norfolk marked the end of his contact with the Pre-Raphaelite circle, although he soon became involved in the local artistic community, becoming a member of the Norwich Art Circle. In 1893 Marshall's health began to fade, and in December he and his son, J. Miller Marshall, auctioned off the contents of their studios in Norwich. The exhibition included over 100 paintings, amongst them landscapes, portraits and several subject pictures. Of all the works included in the sale the present lot is only one known to exist today.
Painted in 1858 A letter from home clearly shows the influence of the Liverpool Pre-Raphaelites on Marshall’s oeuvre. The girl may be a governess, and the black edges to the letter suggest that it contains news of a death. If so, the lily is perhaps symbolic.