Walter as a chorister

Walter Joseph William Hawes, identified by Antony Greenfield as Walter as a chorister on 8 November 2026.

Walter wears round spectacles and a white choir robe over a dark garment, and holds a book in both hands. The photograph’s date, church or choir, location and photographer remain unconfirmed. The closer original photograph supplied by Antony Greenfield shows the title LOBGESANG and the composer’s name MENDELSSOHN on the cover. Other small lettering remains untranscribed. The restored cover has been corrected to follow this source.

Restored sepia portrait of Walter Hawes in choir robes — AI-assisted restoration, November 2026. Repairs address scratches, abrasions, fading and damaged edges. Reconstructed areas and enhanced detail are interpretive; consult the original for historical evidence.

Original damaged photograph of Walter in choir robes, showing torn upper-left corner and surface abrasions — Original family-supplied photograph, preserved unchanged, including the torn corner, mount and surface damage.

Original close-up of the book cover showing LOBGESANG and MENDELSSOHN — Original close-up supplied 8 November 2026. This is the evidence for the cover lettering. The initial restoration incorrectly substituted “HYMNS”; that version has been superseded.

Sitter identification and description as a chorister come from family testimony. This portrait does not by itself establish an appointment to a particular church or choir.

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Score cover reference

Mendelssohn Lobgesang, Novello’s Original Octavo Edition, published by Novello, Ewer and Co — Cover reference supplied by Antony Greenfield on 8 November 2026. Its layout corresponds to the cover visible in Walter’s portrait; it has not been established that this is Walter’s own copy.

The printed cover reads “NOVELLO’S ORIGINAL OCTAVO EDITION”, “MENDELSSOHN.” and “LOBGESANG”. Below are “ONE SHILLING & SIXPENCE.” and “LONDON: NOVELLO, EWER & Co”. Composer names form the decorative border. A handwritten inscription at the top remains untranscribed. The publication date has not been established.