Clare Sheridan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clare Consuelo Sheridan
Born	Clare Consuelo Frewen 9 September 1885 London, England
Died	31 May 1970 (aged 84)
Occupation	Sculptor and writer
Spouse(s)	William Frederick Sheridan ​ (m. 1910)​
Children	Margaret Sheridan Elizabeth Sheridan (1913–1914) Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1915–1937)
Parent(s)	Moreton Frewen Clarita Jerome

Clare Consuelo Sheridan (born Frewen; 1885–1970) was a talented English artist, writer, and journalist. She was best known for creating sculptures, especially busts (head and shoulder sculptures) of famous people. Clare also wrote many travel diaries about her adventures.

She was a cousin of the famous British leader, Sir Winston Churchill. They were good friends, but their political ideas were very different. Clare loved to travel the world and had many well-known friends, including Princess Margaret of Sweden and the famous actress Vivien Leigh.

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Clare Consuelo Frewen was born in London in 1885. Her father, Moreton Frewen, owned a place called Brede Place in Brede, England. Her mother, Clarita Jerome, was American.

Clare's mother was the older sister of Lady Randolph Churchill. This made Clare a cousin to Winston Churchill. Her godmother was Consuelo Vanderbilt, a very important person at the time.

Clare was taught at home by special teachers. She also went to schools in Paris and Germany. When she was 17, she tried to become a novelist. Famous writers like Henry James and Rudyard Kipling encouraged her.

In 1910, Clare married Captain William Frederick Sheridan. They had two daughters. When one of their daughters, Elizabeth, sadly passed away in 1914, Clare made a sculpture for her grave. This was a small weeping angel. Through this sad event, Clare discovered her amazing talent for sculpting.

Her husband, Wilfred Sheridan, was a soldier in the First World War. He was killed in 1915, just a few days after their son, Richard, was born.

After this, Clare moved to London to study sculpting with famous artists. Her first art show was a big success. She was asked to create many sculptures, including one of H. H. Asquith, who was a former Prime Minister.

Adventures in Soviet Russia

In 1920, Clare was invited to travel to Soviet Russia. The new Russian government wanted her to sculpt their famous leaders. The British government didn't want her to go, but she found a way.

She stayed in the Kremlin (the main government building) for two months. There, she sculpted important figures like Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Lev Kamenev.

At this time, Russia was in a Russian Civil War. Winston Churchill, who was a government minister, was against the new Russian government. He was very angry when he found out Clare was sculpting their leaders. When Clare returned to London, Churchill refused to see her. Many people in polite society avoided her because she seemed to support the new Russian ideas. So, she decided to move to America.

In 1921, Clare and her son Richard sailed to New York. On the ship, she met Hugo W. Koehler, an American naval officer. Even though they had different political views, they became friends.

Becoming a Journalist

While in America, Clare met Herbert Swope, the editor of a newspaper called the New York World. He was impressed by her book, Russian Portraits, which described her time in Russia. He offered her a job as a traveling reporter in Europe.

Clare became a very successful journalist. She got many important interviews. During the Irish Civil War, she interviewed both Michael Collins and Rory O'Connor. She also wrote vivid stories from Smyrna during the Greco-Turkish War. She interviewed leaders like Benito Mussolini in Rome and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey.

In 1922, she attended a big meeting called the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923. She caused a stir by spending time with the Italian group, who disagreed with Britain.

Clare went back to Russia in 1923, but this time she became disappointed with the way things were going. She was told she was no longer welcome in the country.

Despite this, in 1924, Clare and her brother, Oswald Frewen, went on a daring motorcycle trip. They rode from England all the way through Europe to Russia, ending in Odessa. Their motorcycle was nicknamed Satanella, and it was one of the first British motorcycles in the Soviet Union. Clare wrote a book about this journey called Across Europe with Satanella. After this, she moved to Constantinople with her children and focused more on her sculpting.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1935, Clare's son, Richard Brinsley, became a writer. He published a book about his experiences at sea. Sadly, he passed away in 1937 at the age of 21. Clare took a large oak tree from her family home and carved it into a memorial for him. This new way of carving wood gave her fresh ideas for her art.

During World War Two, Clare and Winston Churchill put aside their political differences. She sculpted a bust of him, and he painted her portrait.

After the war, Clare became a Catholic. She traveled to Assisi in Italy for this. Later, she lived in a guest house in Ireland and continued to sculpt religious figures. In 1956, she returned to England. In 1958, she sculpted a life-size figure of a helmsman for the Hastings Fishermen's Museum.

Death

Clare Consuelo Sheridan passed away in 1970 at the age of 84. She is buried in the churchyard of St George's, Brede, Sussex, near the memorial she carved for her son.

Surviving Artworks

You can find Clare Sheridan's sculptures of Winston Churchill in places like Blenheim Palace and Hastings Town Hall. Some of her collection of Native American items are displayed at Hastings Museum. Her sculptures are often shown at Rye Art Gallery. Many of her later works can be found in churches, such as at Peper Harrow in England and in Galway, Ireland.

Written Works

Clare Sheridan wrote many books about her travels and experiences:

• Russian Portraits (1921)
• My American Diary (1922)
• In Many Places (1923)
• West to East (1923)
• Stella Defiant (1923)
• Across Europe with Satanella (1925)
• The Thirteenth (1925)
• A Turkish Kaleidoscope (1926)
• Nuda Veritas (1927)
• Green Amber (1929)
• The Substitute Bride (1931)
• Arab Interlude (1936)
• Redskin Interlude (1938)
• Without End (1939)
• My Crowded Sanctuary (1945)
• To the Four Winds (1957)