Portrait of Adrienne

SIR – I was saddened to read of the death of the actress and art historian Adrienne Corri (Obituaries, April 9), especially as I assisted her with her article to The Burlington Magazine on her discovery of an early Gainsborough self-portrait, and with her book The Search for Gainsborough, typing up her notes.

She was on tour at the time, so when I had finished the typing I put the whole thing, including copies, into a large brown envelope and tucked it out of sight in her porch. By the time she came back, it had been stolen. We were both stunned, but, rather than fly into a temper with me, she gathered up the remnants of her notes and we started all over again. The result was a tighter, more readable book, though that was no thanks to me.

She was obsessed by the need to prove that a portrait of David Garrick was by a young Gainsborough, and maintained a gritty determination in the face of scholarly dismissal.

Despite her fiery reputation, Adrienne was always affectionate and generous to me and my family. I have in my wardrobe a dress and an evening coat by Jean Muir which she pressed on me one day. She adored animals, and kept a baby blackbird which she had rescued until it was strong enough to be released – it continued to fly to her hand whenever she opened the window. Her garden in St John’s Wood was a glorious wilderness in which wildlife flourished.

We remained in contact for many years, and I shall miss her.

Gail Cornish

Glastonbury, Somerset