Somerset Maugham
(1874-1965), Novelist, playwright and spyWilliam ('W.') Somerset Maugham
Sitter associated with 115 portraits
Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular and commercially successful authors of the twentieth century. He qualified as a doctor in 1897, but pursued his passion for writing following the publication of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, in the same year. His play Lady Frederick (1907) was his first theatrical success, and his largely autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1915) became a best seller. It was followed by other highly praised works The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor's Edge (1945). He wrote more than thirty plays, including Home and Beauty (1919) and The Letter (1927).
by Philip Steegman
oil on canvas, 1931
NPG 4524
by Graham Sutherland
pencil and crayon, 1949
NPG 5325
Graham Sutherland; Somerset Maugham
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1949
NPG P155
by Graham Sutherland
sketchbook, 104 pages, 1949
NPG 5326
by Graham Sutherland
lithograph, 1953
NPG 5329
by Graham Sutherland
black chalk, pencil and gouache, 1953
NPG 5327
by Graham Sutherland
black chalk on tracing paper, 1953
NPG 5328
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 12 October 1929
NPG x81148
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 12 October 1929
NPG x81149
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