| Description | A transcript of the letter can be found below:
Schloss Kranichstein, Darmstadt
18 Oct 1875
Dictated, with envelope
Princess Alice thanks Mr Leighton very much for having remembered her wish to possess a photograph of his fine cartoon and hopes to find it in Darmstadt tomorrow.
The Pr[inces]s has done what she could to further the wishes of the Royal Academy concerning the Holbein. P[rince]ss Charles will send the picture with pleasure if she can have any guarantee that it will not suffer from the change of climate.
A year ago when there was a question of the P[rince]ss sending her picture to London two authorities at Dresden and Munich strongly advised against the journey.
The panel on which the picture is painted has two slight cracks and it was feared that the damper English climate might do further harm.
Today Pr[inces]s Charles proposed, that should a competent person be sent here from London - and appoint any German authority he pleased to meet him - they could together look at the picture, and then give an opinion by which she would abide.
P[rince]ss Alice hastens to tell Mr Leighton of this suggestion and begs him to let her know whether it will feasible for the Royal Academy to carry out.
The P[rince]ss has urged as strongly as possible that the picture should be sent to London but her mother in law although most desirous to comply with this wish, dreads doing so on her own responsibility as the picture is a most precious heirloom.
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