Rose Henriques facts for kids

Rose Louise Henriques, Lady Henriques (born Loewe; 17 August 1889 – 1972) was a British artist. She was also a very important social and charity worker. She spent her whole life helping people in the East End of London, where she was born.

Early Life and Family

Rose Henriques was born in Stoke Newington, London. Her parents were from a Jewish family. Her father, James Henry Loewe, worked with banks. Her mother, Emma Immerwahr, came to London from a place called Beuthen in Upper Silesia.

When Rose was 16, she went to stay with relatives in Breslau, which is now in Poland. There, she learned to play the piano and speak German.

Helping Others: Social Work

In 1917, Rose married Basil Henriques. After getting married, she decided to focus on social work. Rose and Basil worked together on many projects. From 1914 to 1948, they were in charge of the St George's Jewish Settlement in Stepney. This place later became known as the Bernhard Baron St George's Jewish Settlement. It was a community center with many clubs for learning and social activities.

Helping During Wars

During World War I, Rose Henriques worked as a nurse. She helped people at Liverpool Street station.

In World War II, she became an air-raid warden. This meant she helped keep people safe during air attacks. She also set up a plan to feed people whose homes were destroyed during the Blitz. The Blitz was when German planes bombed London.

While the Blitz was happening, Rose drew and painted many pictures of events in the East End. Many of these artworks are now kept at the Museum of London. She wanted to work for the War Artists' Advisory Committee. Later in the war, they bought one of her paintings. It was a watercolour from 1941 called Shelter Entrance.

After the war ended, she went to Germany. She worked with Jewish welfare groups. She helped people at the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She also helped at a nearby camp for people who had lost their homes.

Art and Community Work

When Rose came back to England, she led the British Ose Society. This group worked to improve mental and physical health. She also started Workrooms for the Elderly in east London. These places helped older people find things to do.

In the East End, she supported local musicians and artists. She kept painting scenes of London streets. She often painted events in Aldgate, Whitechapel, and Spitalfields. She also painted about the local Jewish community.

Art Exhibitions

In 1947, the Whitechapel Gallery held an exhibition of her art. It was called Stepney in War & Peace. Later, in 1961, one hundred more of her works were shown there. This exhibition was called Vanishing Stepney.

Awards and Recognition

In 1955, her husband Basil Henriques was made a knight. This meant Rose became known as Lady Henriques. The local council even renamed the street where their settlement was. It became Henriques Street, to honor them both.

Rose Henriques wrote a book about her life in 1966. It was called Fifty Years in Stepney.

In 1964, she received the Henrietta Szold Award. This award was for her great work for the Jewish community. In 1971, she was given the CBE honor. This was for all her social work in the East End.

In 2013, a big show of her paintings was held in Tower Hamlets. In May 2019, the British Government gave her the British Hero of the Holocaust award. This honored her for helping people during the Holocaust.