Virginia Woolf
5 of 64 portraits of Virginia Woolf
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Virginia Woolf
by Francis Dodd
chalk, 1908
8 in. x 6 1/2 in. (203 mm x 165 mm)
Given by Francis Dodd, 1951
Primary Collection
NPG 3802
Sitterback to top
- Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) (1882-1941), Novelist and critic; sister of Vanessa Bell. Sitter in 64 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Francis Dodd (1874-1949), Painter and printmaker. Artist or producer associated with 52 portraits, Sitter in 5 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 677
- Spalding, Frances, Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision, 2014 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 10 July 2014 - 26 October 2014), p. 70
Events of 1908back to top
Current affairs
Henry Asquith replaces Henry Campbell-Bannerman as Liberal leader and Prime Minister, with David Lloyd George taking control of the Exchequer. Asquith and Lloyd George embark on a bold programme of social reform, laying the foundations of the Welfare State, introducing government pensions this year and later a system of National Insurance.The first aeroplane for the British army is built by the American, Samuel Cody.
Art and science
E.M. Forster's novel A Room with a View is published, following the experiences of a young woman, Lucy Honeychurch, in the repressed culture of Edwardian England.The French art critic Louis Vauxcelles first uses the term 'cubism' to refer to a landscape painting by Georges Braque.
International
King Carlos of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe, are killed by assassins from the Republican trying to provoke a revolution. Carlos I, unpopular because of his extravagant lifestyle and extramarital affairs, was succeeded by his younger son, Manuel, the last monarch of the Braganza dynasty.Following the death of the Guangxu Emperor in China, his two year old nephew replaces him, becoming the the last Manchu emperor of China.
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.
Related pages
- Sir Leslie Stephen
- Rupert Brooke: War Poet
- Reviewers Revealed: Celebrating the TLS Centenary
- NPG 3882 in 360°
- Women's History Month
- Beyond Bloomsbury: Life, Love and Legacy
- Beyond Bloomsbury: Life, Love and Legacy
- Adopt-a-Portrait
- Love Stories
- Women’s History Month
- Love stories: art, passion and tragedy
- Twentieth Century Printmakers
Robert Todd
09 December 2021, 22:49
This is one of at least two sketches Dodd did and signed in 1908. The other (charcoal on paper) realized 6,875 GP at Sotheby's on 25 March 2015 (Lot 161), and is certainly more flattering to Virginia. Dodd's etching at the British Museum is a more elaborate full-length piece. Vol. 1 of Virginia's letters (see index under Dodd) mentions the sittings in 1908 and 1909. See further F. Spalding, Virginia Woolf: Art Life and Vision (2014), 69-70.