Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
(1881-1964), Trustee of Imperial War Museum, Justice of the Peace for London and suffragist; wife of Sir Henry Norman, 1st Bt; daughter of 1st Baron AberconwaySitter in 5 portraits
During the war, Lady Norman helped run a hospital in France for which she was awarded the 1914 Star and created a CBE for her war services. Her greatest achievement was to ensure that the contribution women had made towards the war was not forgotten. She was connected to the Imperial War Museum from its inception in 1917, acting as chairman of the Women's Work Committee which acquired works for the fledgling Museum and formed its first collections policy. In 1919, Lady Norman commissioned Sir John Lavery to paint twelve paintings recording the work women had done in France. She served on the museum's first board of trustees in 1920 and continued her affiliation with the museum until her death.
Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
by Bassano Ltd
bromide print, 1917
NPG x85598
Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 5 January 1917
NPG x68899
Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 5 January 1917
NPG x68900
Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 5 January 1917
NPG x68901
Florence Priscilla (née McLaren), Lady Norman
by Olive Edis
platinotype on photographer's card mount, 1920
NPG x15512
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Mard Drummond
10 June 2016, 09:27
Florence Priscilla, Lady Norman, CBE (née McLaren; 1881 – 1 March 1964, Antibes) was an English socialite and activist. Florence was the fourth child and second daughter of Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway and Laura Elizabeth Pochin. In 1907, she married Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet, a Liberal MP. Like her mother, she was active in the cause of women's suffrage through the Liberal Women's Suffrage Union and the Women's Liberal Federation. During the First World War, she ran a hospital in France. She was awarded the Mons Star for her services and created a CBE. After the war, Lady Norman supported the creation of the Imperial War Museum and was one of its trustees. She was also the first woman to be appointed to the board of the Royal Earlswood Hospital, in 1926. The archives of Lady Norman are held at the Women's Library in London