Dodie Smith
(1896-1990), Novelist and playwrightSitter in 3 portraits
Author of the enduringly popular novels I Capture the Castle (1948) and The Hundred and One Dalmations (1956), Smith trained as an actress but gave up the theatre to work in the furniture store Heal & Son. Her first play Autumn Crocus (1929) attracted headlines: 'Shopgirl writes play'. She became one of the most successful playwrights of the 1930s. A pacifist, Smith spent the war years with her husband and her Dalmation dog, Pongo, in Hollywood, working as a scriptwriter. In England she continued to write novels and autobiographies.
by Anthony Buckley
modern bromide print from original negative, 1953
NPG x76051
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.