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dresses, shawls, Bonnets and other head dresses, [[?]] collars, ribbonds and every thing for Christmas- balls and parties. Sunday Dec: 21st. The shortest day. Dull and rainy. Father had a headache. We staid in. Dec: 22nd. Father wrote home to Grandfather & mother copied the letter into the letter book. I read it off to her. Did some drawing. Dec: 23rd. Weather clear. Father spent the day at some galleries of pictures. I read a letter of mother's to her, while she copied it. In the afternoon we took a walk to Oxford st. returning by Newman st. When father came home he brought a penknife each for Lilly and me, mine costing thirty eight cents. He saw in the news paper that Turner the artist, had died on Sunday Dec. 21st. Dec: 24th. Father wrote to Mr. G.R. Smith. Mother wrote, I drew, copied journal &c. After dinner we took a walk to see some of the artists houses. The first we went to was Mr. Pickersgill's on Shornington Crescent. (No 36.) It is a fine large house, painted of a light colour. Near it is George [[end page]] [[start page]] Crickshank's (No. 48) It is a rather plainer looking dwelling than the other. We next went to Fitzroy Square, where a number of the most eminent artists reside, amongst them David Roberts, Sir. Charles Eastlake P.R.A., Armatage, Hart & Rolls. The buildings on all sides of this square are uniform, of a dark gray stone, fine workmanship and elegant design, in this respect resembling Edinburgh more than any part of London we have seen. It was quite carachteristic of London on a December day that out of five painters residences, the painting room window of three was being cleaned. Dec. 25th. Christmas. Father had headache. I drew an omnibus. Mother wrote. In the afternoon Mother Lilly and I took a walk up around Camden Square in search of young Mr. Goodall's house, and though we did not find it we had a very pleasant walk. When we returned, we found that father had gone out to the park, so we set off after him, and met him coming home. Dec. 26th. Father worked at his picture. I made