4 OF 30 
William Henry Davies
4 of 30 portraits by William Nicholson
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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William Henry Davies
by William Nicholson
oil on canvas, 1921
21 1/2 in. x 23 in. (546 mm x 584 mm)
Purchased, 1961
Primary Collection
NPG 4194
Artistback to top
- Sir William Newzam Prior Nicholson (1872-1949), Artist. Artist or producer associated with 30 portraits, Sitter in 8 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 167
Events of 1921back to top
Current affairs
Marie Stopes, campaigner for women's rights and pioneer of family planning, opens her first clinic in London, offering a free service to married women. While Stopes's forthright and open-minded attitudes have helped to change opinion about family planning and sex, her opinions on eugenics have been criticised and are now out-of-step with current thinking.Art and science
British-born star of Hollywood Charlie Chaplin visits London where he is greeted by thousands. In 1921 Chaplain made his film, The Kid, which told the story of a tramp who finds an abandoned baby in an alley and decides to look after him. The portrayal of poverty in the film drew on Chaplain's own experiences of growing up in a working class family in London.International
The Anglo-Irish Treaty partitions Ireland into the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland. The Irish Free State was granted independence, while six of the Northern counties of Ulster decided to remain part of Britain. The treaty came into effect in 1922.Comments back to top
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Patricia Reed
14 May 2016, 14:46
This portrait was completed in July 1921 ( it does not date from 1927-8) and was exhibited in November of 1921 in London at the Goupil Gallery Salon no. 66 Portrait of William H. Davies, Esq. Please see Patricia Reed 'William Nicholson Catalogue raisonne of the Oil Paintings'. London and Newhaven: Modern Art Press and Yale University Press, 2011 cat. no. 453 p.380. There are other references to Davies and the artist in this publication.