The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day.

Advanced Collection search

Search the Collection

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

(1893-1993), Traveller and writer

Sitter in 6 portraits
Brought up in Italy, her life of travelling began when she was thirty-four. Inspired by T.E. Lawrence, she went to Lebanon in 1927 to learn Arabic. She became an authority on the Middle East, and was awarded the medals of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1934, and the Royal Geographic Society, 1942. During the Second World War her understanding of the Arab world informed a successful anti-Axis propaganda campaign. She was in the siege of the British Embassy in Baghdad in 1941. Of her thirty books, The Valley of the Assassins (1934) and Beyond Euphrates (1951) are the best known. After every journey she returned home to Asolo, a town in the Veneto.

Tell us More

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Make a donation

List Thumbnail

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Herbert Olivier - NPG 5465

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Herbert Olivier
oil on canvas, 1923
NPG 5465

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Robert Mapplethorpe - NPG P750

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Robert Mapplethorpe
bromide print laid on card, 1975
NPG P750

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Malcolm Bell Jr - NPG x87284

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Malcolm Bell Jr
colour print, March 1975
NPG x87284

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Malcolm Bell Jr - NPG x87285

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Malcolm Bell Jr
colour print, April 1979
NPG x87285

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Malcolm Bell Jr - NPG x87286

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Malcolm Bell Jr
colour print, April 1979
NPG x87286

Dame Freya Madeline Stark, by Tara Heinemann - NPG x13757

Dame Freya Madeline Stark

by Tara Heinemann
bromide print, July 1980
NPG x13757

Category

Groups

Places

Links

Tell us more back to top

Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.

If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.

Please note that we cannot provide valuations.

We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.

What can you tell us?close

There are occasions when we are unsure of the identity of a sitter or artist, their life dates, occupation or have not recorded their family relationships. Sometimes we have not recorded the date of a portrait. Do you have specialist knowledge or a particular interest about any aspect of the portrait or sitter or artist that you can share with us? We would welcome any information that adds to and enhances our information and understanding about a particular portrait, sitter or artist.

Citationclose

How do you know this? Please could you let us know your source of information.

* Permission to publish (Privacy information)
Privacy Informationclose

The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. Please note your email address will not be displayed on the page nor will it be used for any marketing material or promotion of any kind.

Please ensure your comments are relevant and appropriate. Your contributions must be polite and with no intention of causing trouble. All contributions are moderated.

Your Emailclose

Contributions are moderated. We'll need your email address so that we can follow up on the information provided and contact you to let you know when your contribution has been published.

Discover

Scientific techniques

Watch our playlist exploring scientific techniques used by the Gallery to unlock the secrets behind our Tudor portraits.

Watch now

Subjects and themes

Search the collection by themes - from pets to weddings!

Discover the Collection


Black History Month

Take a tour exploring our Collection created by Alayo Akinkugbe for Black History Month in 2020.

Take the tour

A Picture of Health

Learn about pioneers in medicine, health and social reform from 1840 to 1920.

Explore the timeline