Edith Lawrence facts for kids

Edith Mary Lawrence (born March 22, 1890 – died October 2, 1973) was a talented British artist. She was well-known for her beautiful landscape and portrait paintings. Edith also created colourful linocuts, which are a type of print, and designed textiles.

Early Life and Art School

Edith Lawrence was born in Walton-on-Thames, a town in Surrey, England. She was the youngest daughter of George Adams Lawrence. Her father owned a grocery store in central London.

Edith went to Queen's College, London until 1908. After that, she studied art at the famous Slade School of Art in London. She attended from 1910 to 1914. Edith was a very good student at Slade. She won prizes and earned top marks for both painting and drawing.

Starting Her Art Career

In 1917, Edith Lawrence showed her paintings to the public for the first time. She exhibited her work at the Royal Academy. This is a very important art institution in London. She also showed her art with the New English Art Club. In the same year, Edith started teaching art at Runston Hill School.

Working with Claude Flight

In 1922, Edith Lawrence met another artist named Claude Flight. He was also a painter and famous for his linocut prints. Edith and Claude became close friends and partners for life.

They first lived at Claude's studio in St John's Wood. Later, in 1927, they opened a new studio together. This studio was located near Baker Street in London.

Creative Business Ventures

From their new studio, Edith and Claude ran a business. They focused on interior decoration. This meant they helped people design the inside of their homes. They created many different art pieces for homes. These included large wall paintings called murals. They also designed textiles and other decorative objects.

Edith continued to show her art regularly in the 1930s. Her work was displayed at the Ward and Redfern galleries. She also exhibited with other art groups. These included the Society of Women Artists and the National Portrait Society. She also showed her work with the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-colours.

In 1937, Edith and Claude had a special joint exhibition. It was held at the Embroiderer's Guild. They also worked together on books for children. They wrote and illustrated three books together.

Moving to the Countryside

Edith and Claude moved to a village in Wiltshire. This was in June, but they kept their London studio. Sadly, their London studio was later destroyed. This happened during the Blitz, which was a bombing campaign during World War II.

Later Life and Legacy

Claude Flight had a stroke in 1947. Edith Lawrence took care of him until he passed away in 1955. After Claude's death, Edith's eyesight started to get worse. However, she had an operation for cataracts. This helped her eyesight improve, and she was able to continue painting.

In the summer of 1973, the University of Hull held a special exhibition. It showed many of Edith Lawrence's artworks from throughout her career. This type of show is called a retrospective. Edith Lawrence passed away later that year, on October 2, 1973. She died at a nursing home in Salisbury. A memorial exhibition was held in her honor at the Parkin Gallery in London.