Circa 1907
Each drawing height 75cm x width 59cm

Framed for the first time, the drawings laid upon a dark board showing them complete.

The life study drawings on artists paper (the watermark of Michallet has been noted), the collection was found rolled and wrapped in grey paper with a label giving the artist and tutors, only one drawing is signed.

Ref: 23385

Note: This pair of competent life drawing studies by Winifred Ballard interestingly illustrates the liberal, progressive nature of Augustus John and William Orpen’s short lived Chelsea Art School. Situated in Flood Street in Chelsea and run between 1903 and 1907, the school admitted female pupils who were encouraged to draw from life models, albeit with chaperones, but this was something that previously, societal restrictions had simply not permitted women to do. A whole ten years later in 1913 when Laura Knight exhibited her groundbreaking ‘Self Portrait with Model’ which depicted herself painting a nude, times were still extremely repressive for women and the response was highly critical. Winifred was 18 years old when she first attended the school. The influence of Augustus John’s tutelage (for he did most of the teaching, and by all accounts Orpen was very hands-off) is very apparent in her confident lines and mark-making. Winifred Eugenie BALLARD Born Chester 1885. Daughter of Edward George Ballard, mineralogist, Governor Inspector of Mines in Cornwall circa 1914, living at Trelights near Port Issac. Previously lived in Holland Park, London. Married Richard Varley 1919 in Chester Cathedral, moved to Hollow Barn Cottage, Kingston Ridge, died in 1921, Kingston Lewes, Sussex.