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Virginia Woolf

(1882-1941), Novelist and critic; sister of Vanessa Bell

Virginia Woolf (née Stephen)

Sitter in 64 portraits
A central figure in the Bloomsbury group of writers, artists and intellectuals. In 1905, with her sister Vanessa, she hosted Thursday evening gatherings at 46 Gordon Square that formed the hub of Bloomsbury. Despite intermittent bouts of mental illness she was a major contributor to the development of the novel form in literature. Many of her novels, notably Night and Day, Jacob's Room, Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves, pioneered the use of the interior monologue, or 'stream of consciousness' and transformed ideas about structure, plot and characterisation. Her essay A Room of One's Own has become a classic of feminist literature. She committed suicide in 1941.

More on Woolf: Explore the portrait of Virginia Woolf by Stephen Tomlin (NPG 3882) from all angles |Art historian Frances Spalding on Woolf | Timeline | Woolf and Garsington | The Icons trail: discover the people who shaped the 20th Century

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Virginia Woolf, by George Charles Beresford - NPG P220

Virginia Woolf

by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, July 1902
NPG P220

Virginia Woolf, by George Charles Beresford - NPG P221

Virginia Woolf

by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, July 1902
NPG P221

Virginia Woolf, by George Charles Beresford - NPG P222

Virginia Woolf

by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, July 1902
NPG P222

Virginia Woolf, by George Charles Beresford - NPG P223

Virginia Woolf

by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, July 1902
NPG P223

The Dreadnought Hoax, by Lafayette - NPG P1293

The Dreadnought Hoax

by Lafayette
matte bromide print, 7 February 1910
NPG P1293

Virginia Woolf, by Vanessa Bell - NPG 5933

Virginia Woolf

by Vanessa Bell
oil on board, 1912
On display in Room 24 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 5933

Virginia Woolf, by Stephen Tomlin - NPG 3882

Virginia Woolf

by Stephen Tomlin
lead bust, 1953, based on a work of 1931
NPG 3882

Virginia Woolf, by Man Ray - NPG P170

Virginia Woolf

by Man Ray
gelatin silver print, 27 November 1934
NPG P170

Virginia Woolf, by Gisèle Freund - NPG P440

Virginia Woolf

by Gisèle Freund
colour dye transfer, 1939
NPG P440

'Work in Progress',  - NPG 7145

'Work in Progress'

acrylic on paper collaged on panels, 2021-2022
On display in Room 33 on Floor 0 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 7145

Virginia Woolf; Sir Leslie Stephen, by George Charles Beresford - NPG x4600

Virginia Woolf; Sir Leslie Stephen

by George Charles Beresford
sepia-toned platinotype, 1902
NPG x4600

Virginia Woolf, by George Charles Beresford - NPG x27535

Virginia Woolf

by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, retouched and heightened, July 1902
NPG x27535

Virginia Woolf, by Lady Ottoline Morrell - NPG Ax141319

Virginia Woolf

by Lady Ottoline Morrell
vintage snapshot print, circa 1917
NPG Ax141319

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