Violet Olivia Cressy-Marcks (née Rutley, later Fisher)
(1895-1970), ExplorerSitter in 7 portraits
From a wealthy family, Violet Cressy-Marcks's journeys took her round the world many times. Twice married, she principally travelled alone. Her extensive interests encompassed archaeology, zoology, ethnology and geography. She wrote only two books about her journeys. The first, Up the Amazon and Over the Andes (1932) displayed her sang-froid: 'A snake crawling over one at night is… not a pleasant proposition… The wretched thing had bitten me below the knee…' Having lanced the wound, she found a mirror 'to see if I was going black or grey… I decided on coffee, a walk and sleep, and if I was going to die… I was at peace with the world - so … there was nothing to worry about'.
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