The statue of William Etty in Exhibition Square, York
OF increasing concern to me is what might happen to the collected letters of one of York’s most famous sons.
William Etty (1787-1849) became one of England’s first artists to gain international fame, almost always painting nudes and thereby attracting some notoriety.
The collected letters of Etty were being devotedly edited by the late William Dixon Smith, of Acomb, until shortly before his death almost a year ago.
His passing was particularly lamented by readers of The Press far and wide who gained so much enjoyment from his own published letters therein.
Etty’s letters ought surely to be regarded as a treasured facet of Britain’s artistic heritage.
Ron Willis, Mount Lawley, Perth, Western Australia
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