It was during young Dodgson’s association with the latter journal
that the pseudonym, which is to-day world-famous, originated. It was
selected by Edmund Yates from the names Edgar Cuthwellis,[1] Edgar
W. C. Westhall, Louis Carroll, and Lewis Carroll. The first two were
formed from letters of his Christian names, Charles Lutwidge; the
others are merely variant forms of them. Thus Lewis is developed from
Ludovicus and Ludovicus from Luteridge, while Charles develops into
Carolus and thence to Carroll.
The first effort from his pen to which the new pseudonym was appended
was “The Path of Roses,” a serious poem which appeared in “The Train”
in 1856.
Mr. Dodgson was ordained a deacon of the Church of England in 1861,
but never undertook regular duties as a priest, although he preached
occasionally at the University Church and elsewhere. Despite the slight
stammer which marred his diction his sermons--models of earnestness,
lucidity, and reasoning--were always impressive, especially those on
the subject of Eternal Punishment, in which devilish and anti-Christian
doctrines he was, of course an emphatic disbeliever.
His literary activities and personal charm gained him the friendship
of eminent writers in various fields of artistic and professional
endeavour, including Tennyson, Ruskin, Thackeray, the Rossetti Family,
Tom Taylor the dramatist (author of “Still Waters Run Deep,” etc.),
Frank Smedley (author of that admirable novel “Frank Fairleigh”),
Stuart Calverley, Coventry Patmore, Mrs. Charlotte the novelist,
Millais, Holman Hunt, Val Prinsep, Watts, the Terry family, Lord
Salisbury, the Bishop of Oxford, Canon King (afterwards Bishop of
Lincoln), Canon Liddon, Dr. Scott (Dean of Rochester), Dr. Liddell
(Dean of Christ Church), Professor Faraday, Mr. Justice Denman, Sir
George Baden-Powell, Mr. Frederick Harrison, etc.
Most of these distinguished people were photographed by him, for
this man of many talents had a flair for artistic photography
which undoubtedly would have made him successful as a professional
photographer had he been compelled to depend upon it for a living.
Photographing from life, particularly photographing children, was,
indeed, his principal hobby, and in his rooms at Christ Church he kept
a large and varied assortment of fancy costumes in which to attire his
little friends for picturesque effect.