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40 East 83rd Street New York, N.Y. 10028 August 12, 1982 Mrs Robert Thompson Vinson Hall, Apt. 326 6251 Old Dominion Drive McLean, Va. 22101 Dear Mrs. Thompson, What a wonderful visit with you! It was absolutely delightful and thrilling for me to hear about "Bonny and Betty" at first hand from someone so close to them. The clippings, letters and photos you loaned me are tremendously informative and helpful. I started reading the letters from Bess to "Aunt Molly" on the plane going back, and found the answers to several questions I had asked you. In looking at the portrait of Grace Vonnoh that you called the china cup, I realized that it was the painting called "Fais le Beau!" (translated as "Stand up and beg") that Vonnoh sent to the Salon in 1890--a painting that I am so happy to have come across. It helps so much in understanding Vonnoh's early career. I am very eager to see those paintings at first hand--I suppose a trip to California is advisable in the near future! (I look forward to meeting the rest of your family--if they are half as delightful as you are, they must be charming!). Please excuse all the exclamation marks--I am quite excited about all this. I will let you know when I will be coming back to Washington. I intend to have a preliminary outline of Vonnoh's career completed by the end of the month. I have written to the Corcoran Archives about the thesis on Bess. What a pleasure to meet you! Love, May Hill