On July 17th, 1917 Frances Hodgkins wrote to her mother from her studio in St Ives, England:

Have just finished a very successful portrait of Mrs Hellyer which everyone likes, especially the husband who has just been down for the weekend and now insists on my painting him as well as a large group of the children.

Another letter to her mother on August 7th, 1917:

Well I went to the Hellyers at Port Isaac and had a great week.  Luckily it was fine so I was able to do a big portrait group of them in the garden.

And on November 18th, 1919 again she writes to her mother:

The first week end Mrs Hellyer bore me off to their lovely new house at Carbis Bay.  She is now a widow, beautiful and not yet 40 fascinating - and such a house to fascinate in! Much reduced in wealth by her husbands sudden death so there will be no more pictures by Frances Hodgkins bought alas...