Letter from Adele Harms to Edith Schiele, 11th May 1916

Vienna, 11th May 1916

Dear Did [Edith], I am very happy to hear how much you like it there and
Egon [Schiele] has been graced by good fortune once more, because if he
had been deployed to the [War] Archives, he would not have stayed there permanently,
[Johannes] Fischer says as much, he heard it from [Arthur] Rössler. Many
of those not fit for service on the front are now suddenly being drafted,
which means that Rössler might be called yet. What
do you say to that!? – Wigili [Franz Wiegele] is in captivity in Africa,
he is said to be doing very well and to be earning much money by
portraying the French officers.
If you are going on such lovely excursions, why don’t you send me any
picture postcards, I would love to follow you both on the map with my
finger and to think of you and thus feel a little closer to you.
Do you remember last year’s [excursions]!?
I went to see the tailor on Tuesday, he promised me to send the jacket
by the end of this week or early next week. I could get the lining
only in gray. Too bad I cannot alter your hat,
otherwise I would have included it. Make sure you send me a list by then
of all the things you need so we can do it in one go.
My costume turned out very pretty. Now I am altering my
checkered skirt, with mother’s help. I have also remodeled
my cobalt blue dress all on my own, it is now quite
nice. I have shortened the skirt, added a pierrot collar and a white
leather belt. Don’t you miss your Madonna blue
dress? – I visit your dear studio almost every day

to enjoy the fresh air and the sun… Oh, how much I love
the sun, May and summer!* The asterisk means I will
elaborate on this next time.
Here, [Paul] Wegener is acting in plays by Strindberg and Hauptmann
oh, how I would love to see and hear him! …
Please send me 9 new picture postcards from there next time
with nice, idyllic landscapes, I want to write them here and
have them posted there. I think you know why?
Don’t forget! I won’t be able to send you the tobacco with tubes
before Friday because I won’t get it any sooner.
How is your sweet little Lord? – And your actual
lord and master? I really should be cross with him,
because he never writes to me and I never hear from him.
Nevertheless, do give him my regards. Dear Did,
crap your letters better next time, Mami has a hard
time reading them on this crappy brown paper.
Please forgive my coarse wording, I always
write the way I think…
Regards, kisses,
Dell

A thousand regards and kisses from Mama, she talks about you all the time and is
always thinking of you. It makes me quite cross…
I am addressing the letter to Egon so you will get it sooner.
[In English:] Please write me the birthday of E. I have forgotten him! [!]