Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Lady Baden-Powell; Robert Baden-Powell

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Lady Baden-Powell; Robert Baden-Powell

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 1912
Given by Bassano & Vandyk Studios, 1974
Photographs Collection
NPG x28386

Sittersback to top

Artistback to top

  • Bassano Ltd (active 1901-1962), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 42746 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Baden-Powell's wedding to Olave St Clair Soames was a private family affair at St Peter's Church, Parkstone on 31st October 1912. Only their engagement was announced in the Press. Bassano marked the occasion with this montage celebration made up of two separate images. Although Olave was 32 years his junior Baden-Powell assured his mother she would be an 'invaluable adviser....and a real playmate'. They had a long, happy, if unusual, marriage producing three children. Olave committed herself to her husband's work and built up her own position within the Girl Guides to become Chief Commissioner in 1916 and Chief Guide in 1918.

Related worksback to top

  • NPG x81083: Robert Baden-Powell (from same photo shoot)

Events of 1912back to top

Current affairs

The Royal Flying Corps is established. During the Great War, planes and balloons were used mainly for reconnaissance and observation before technological advances made them fast enough and manoeuvrable enough to attack enemy positions and fight in the air. Arthur (Bomber) Harris won distinction as a pilot destroying five enemy aircraft in the war. In the Second World War he became Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Art and science

George Bernard Shaw writes Pygmalion.
Charles Babbage's invents the Analytic Machine. Considered to be the forerunner to the modern computer, the machine was able to make automatic mathematical calculations.

International

Scott leads the British Expedition to the South Pole reaching it in January 1912 only to discover that the rival Norwegian party had beaten them by a month. All members of Scott's team perished on the return journey. Captain Oates' famous last words were immortalised in Scott's diary: 'I am just going outside and may be some time.'
The 'unsinkable' Titanic strikes an iceberg and goes down on its maiden journey between Southampton and New York.

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