Virginia Woolf; Leonard Sidney Woolf
12 of 64 portraits of Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf; Leonard Sidney Woolf
by Gisèle Freund
colour print, 1939
11 3/4 in. x 8 in. (301 mm x 201 mm)
Purchased, 1990
Primary Collection
NPG P439
Sittersback to top
- Leonard Sidney Woolf (1880-1969), Writer and publisher. Sitter in 9 portraits. Identify
- Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) (1882-1941), Novelist and critic; sister of Vanessa Bell. Sitter in 64 portraits. Identify
This portraitback to top
The novelist with her husband Leonard, author, publisher and political worker. They were photographed at their house in Tavistock Square on 24 June 1939. According to Freund, Virginia Woolf had agreed to the sitting after seeing slides of other writers she had photographed. Virginia Woolf's diary, by contrast, indicates that she was annoyed at being compelled by good manners to accede to the sitting having refused Freund on two previous occasions. The photographs were however admired by Leonard Woolf in 1946.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 677
- Spalding, Frances, The Bloomsbury Group, 2013, p. 40
- Spalding, Frances, The Bloomsbury Group, 2013, p. 42
- Spalding, Frances, Insights: The Bloomsbury Group, 2005, p. 39
Placesback to top
- Place made and portrayed: United Kingdom: England, London (sitters' home, Tavistock Square, London)
Events of 1939back to top
Current affairs
Britain goes to war. The German invasion of Poland demonstrated that the policy of appeasement had failed. After refusing to meet Britain's ultimatum to withdraw troops, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Second World War had begun.Art and science
The Sutton Hoo burial ship is discovered. Apparently following a dream, Mrs Pretty invited the archaeologist Basil Brown to investigate a series of burial mounds on her estate on the banks of the river Deben in Suffolk. The excavation revealed an Anglo-Saxon burial, uncovering the most significant horde of early medieval artefacts found in Britain (now housed at the British Museum).International
The Second World War begins. Germany's invasion of Poland prompted Britain and France to declare war forming the core of the Allied powers. As part of the Soviet-Nazi Pact, the Soviet Union joined the war on the German side, helping, with Italy, to form the Axis Powers. Poland was soon overpowered and the Baltic Republics and Finland were invaded by the Soviet Union.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.