Biography of Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen 1859-1899

In July 1856 [her father] Abraham Pullen [aged 22] and [her mother] Sarah Eagle [aged 23] were married.

In 1859 Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen was born to Abraham Pullen [aged 25] and Sarah Eagle [aged 26].

In or before 1879 [her mother] Sarah Eagle [aged 45] died. See Leighton Biography.

Frederick Leighton Biography. One day, somewhere in the winter of 1879, on opening a gate which leads from our garden to the Holland Park Studios, I saw standing at one of the studio doors a figure which I described to Leighton as a "vision of beauty [aged 20]" - a young girl with a lovely white face, dressed in deepest black, evidently a model. Needless to say, Leighton, ever eager to procure good models, obtained her name from the artist to whom she was sitting when I first saw her, and engaged her as a model for the head. Shortly after she began to sit to Leighton, he wrote to me saying the young girl was in sad circumstances, and he would be very glad if I could help her by making some studies from her. I agreed, and he arranged with her to give me sittings. She told me that she had recently lost her mother [Sarah Eagle [aged 46]], her father [Abraham Pullen [aged 45]] had deserted his family of five girls and two boys, and she with her elder brother were left to support them. She was endeavouring to act the part of mother to her younger sisters and brother. As Leighton and I grew to know her better we found her very intelligent and conscientious in acting this part, and she enlisted our sympathies entirely. She confided to me, while sitting one day, that she longed greatly to find something to do more interesting and remunerative than spending her days as a model. She thought she could act. I consulted Leighton. His first exclamation was, "Impossible! with that voice! How could she go on the stage?" I thought the voice, which had a singularly unpleasant Cockney twang in it, might be trained, as I had observed how very eager she was to learn to speak in a more educated manner, quite realising her own shortcomings. Leighton came round to my opinion; and, once having made up his mind that she was bent on educating herself for the stage, showed himself as ever the most unselfish and untiring befriender.

Frederick Leighton Biography. Around 1879. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 48]. "Miss Dene". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 20].

1880. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 49]. "Crenaia, the Nymph of the Dargle". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 21].

Frederick Leighton Biography. 1882. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 51]. "Bianca". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 23].

Frederick Leighton Biography. Around 1882. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 51]. "Return of Persephone". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 23].

Frederick Leighton Biography. Around 1882. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 51]. "Antigone". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 23].

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.

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Frederick Leighton Biography. 1884. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 53]. "Cymon and Iphigenia". Models sisters Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 25] and Isabella Helena "Lena" Pullen [aged 11].

Frederick Leighton Biography. Around 1886. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 55]. "Clytie". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 27].

                    An Artist's Reminiscences Chapter 8. One of the scenes represented the return of Agamemnon with Cassandra. Miss Dorothy Dene [aged 27] took the part of Cassandra, and distinguished herself by the passion and feeling she threw into it.
                
                    The following letter from her with regard to a change in her attitude in the scene before the house of Agamemnon is interesting as showing the earnest thought she gave to the subject, as well as her consideration for the designer of the scene: —
                
                    "The Chase, Clapham May 12, 1886
                
                    Dear Mr. Crane, — I write to ask your sanction for an alteration which I wish to make as far as my attitude is concerned in your beautiful tableau. If that tableau stood alone, I should not think of doing so; but it does not: it is a moment in a continuous dramatic action of the greatest difficulty, and which I have considered with the utmost care ever since the part has been in my hands — every step in the action has been considered, and one must, as I need hardly say to such an artist as you, flow out of the other. I propose to stand precisely where you place me, upright, and if possible statuesquely my gaze riveted with intense prophetic emotion on Clytemnestra, but with my arms down, not up. This is to me of the utmost importance as a link in my performance — action comes later on, at the 'Woe, woe.' I feel sure that you will be willing for the performance as a whole to sacrifice this little detail, on which certainly your tableau does not depend. — Believe me, yours truly.
                
                    Dorothy Dene.

Around 1889. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 58]. "Greek Girls Playing Ball". Model left Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 30].

Around 1890. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 59]. "The Bath of Psyche". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 31].

Frederick Leighton Biography. Around 1890. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 59]. "The Bath of Psyche". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 31].

Around 1891. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 60]. "Solitude". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 32].

Around 1891. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 60]. "The Vestal". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 32].

Around 1891. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 60]. "The Return of Persephone". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 32].

Around 1891. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 60]. "Perseus and Andromeda". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 32].

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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An Artist's Reminiscences Chapter 8. Miss Dene's [aged 35] performance as Cassandra elicited general applause, and it was thought she had a fine career before her. Punch spoke of her as " delightful Dorothy," and printed her portrait (after a sketch by Leighton, I think) in a notice of the tableau. Unfortunately, her early death prevented her taking the position she might have done as an actress.

Frederick Leighton Biography. 1895. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 64]. Study for "Flaming June". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 36].

Frederick Leighton Biography. 1895. Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 64]. "Flaming June". Model Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 36].

On 25th January 1896 Frederick Leighton 1st Baron Leighton [aged 65] died. Baron Leighton of Stretton in Shropshire and Baronet Leighton of Holland Park Road in St Mary Abbots in Kensington in Middlesex extinct. He left Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 37] £5,000, plus another £5,000 in trust for herself and her sisters; the largest bequest he made.

On 27th December 1899 Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 40] died. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

Frederick Leighton Biography. We succeeded in making the little girl work exclusively at her acting, and Leighton, Watts, and I frequently visited the school where she was being trained under Mrs. Glyn, to hear her and her fellow-students perform the pieces they had studied. Eventually she appeared in London and in the provinces, and quickly communicated all her successes and failures to Leighton and to me. Constant notes passed between us as we each received news from our young protégée, or when we thought some fresh step might be taken for her advantage. For instance, one of these notes runs as follows:—

Dear Mrs. Barrington,—It has occurred to me that I perhaps seemed this morning what I certainly did not mean to seem, churlish in regard to that letter from Irving.[77] If Miss Pullen is now ripe for him to hear her—this is the most important point (for to go to him too soon would be the most unwise thing possible in view of her getting a good engagement)—and if, having declined a letter on a previous occasion, she has any unnecessary scruple about now asking for one, it will be quite enough for you to tell me from her that she wishes for one, and I will at once write it. Kemp will always be able to tell you where to get at me. I can write as easily from Vienna or Constantinople as from here.

Note 77. Among Leighton's correspondence is the following interesting letter from Irving, who was an ardent admirer of Leighton's, and was among the first to join the committee formed to preserve his house for the public.

15a Grafton Street, Bond Street, W.,

January 1, 1889.

Dear Sir Frederic,—I am glad that you are coming to "Macbeth," and I wish you had been with us on Saturday.

The seats you wish for I enclose, though I should ever look upon it as a great privilege to welcome you myself.

Ellen Terry's performance is remarkable, and perfectly delightful after the soulless and insipid imitations of Sarah Siddons to which we have been accustomed.

You will find the cobwebs of half a century brushed away.

There is an amusing article in to-day's Standard, which overshoots the mark, and clearly shows how offensive it is to some minds to be earnest and conscientious in one's work. But I need not point this out to you.—Remaining, my dear Sir Frederic, yours sincerely,

H. Irving.

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Frederick Leighton Biography. Also the child in "Captive Andromache." Of the sister-mother of this little family, beautiful as she was, Leighton declared he never could paint a successful likeness, notwithstanding his attempts in "Viola,"[75] "Bianca," "Serenely wandering in a trance of sober thought," and "Miss Dene." Her very beautiful throat, however, was reproduced worthily in many of his subject-pictures, and the true dramatic instinct she undoubtedly possessed enabled her to be of help in such pictures as "Antigone," "Return of Persephone," and the last picture, the passionate "Clytie." But however useful she proved as a model, Leighton never for a moment thought of his own interests before the serious welfare of the young girl's life. He realised that if she was to make a successful actress, it involved serious and concentrated study. One morning I received the following note:—

Dear Mrs. Barrington,—Miss Pullen will be very happy to sit to you on Monday, and will talk over the rest when you meet. You are very kind about it all, as is, indeed, your wont.

P.S.—You see my harassed old head does sometimes remember what I promise.

Note 75. As portraits, the two heads Watts painted from "Dorothy Dene" were superior to those Leighton painted.