His Final Photograph Of Alice Is Very Telling
Over time, Alice grew sick of Dodgson’s attention. While he lived like Peter Pan – the boy who never grew up – Alice did grow up. He photographed his muse for the final time when she was 18 years old. The image, taken in 1870, is striking. She is dressed in fine clothes with her hands clasped on her lap. She looks uncomfortable and strained. If the eyes are truly the window to the soul, then it appears as if she’s bored and irritated by the intrusion. After marrying and having three sons (two of whom died in World War I), she experienced a brief bit of fame in the United States. She wrote in a letter to her surviving son Caryl (notice the name) that she was “tired of being Alice in Wonderland!”
His Obituary Noted He Was Very Fond Of Children
Dodgson’s love of children was not only well known, it was also celebrated. His obituary in the London Daily Graphic described him like this:
“like many bachelors, he was very popular with children and very fond of them.”
His nephew Stuart Collingwood noted that his uncle had several “child friends,” and he wrote a biography that included two chapters about these girls. He mentioned how Dodgson would regularly hug and kiss the children. And even though Dodgson was friends with women as well, these friendships were not included in the book. In general, people viewed him as kind, generous man who got along very well with kids.
Alice Nearly Married A Prince
Alice turned into a stunning young woman and met Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold. The pair fell in love, but couldn’t wed because she was not of royal blood. Alice married a man named Reginald Hargreaves, and the prince tied the knot with a German princess. In 1883, Leopold had a daughter whom he named Alice. In turn, Alice named her second son Leopold and her first love became his godfather.
Credits: ranker.com