The oil painting A Grotesque Old Woman in the National Gallery, London, originally inspired Philip many years ago.

His son who was only a small boy at the time, chose a postcard reproduction of the picture as his souvenir of his first visit to the capital. Like his son, Philip was fascinated by this painting and thought he saw similarities between this and the original John Tenniel illustrations for the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

One particular drawing of the bad tempered Duchess nursing a baby which mysteriously turns into a pig, was especially memorable.

Go Back