Lady Alexandra Henrietta Louisa Haig as Circe
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Lady Alexandra Henrietta Louisa Haig as Circe
by Yevonde
Vivex colour print, March 1935
14 3/4 in. x 10 7/8 in. (375 mm x 275 mm)
Given by Yevonde, 1971
Photographs Collection
NPG x32991
On display at The Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Sitterback to top
- Lady Alexandra Henrietta Louisa Haig (later Alexandra Trevor-Roper, Lady Dacre) (1907-1997), Wife of Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre; daughter of 1st Earl Haig. Sitter in 24 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Yevonde (Madame Yevonde) (Yevonde Middleton (née Cumbers)) (1893-1975), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 915 portraits, Sitter in 15 portraits.
This portraitback to top
The sorceress Circe was a powerful magician who lived with her wild animals on the island of Aeaea. Visitors to the island were offered a goblet of wine laced with magic potion that turned them into beasts. When Odysseus landed on the island with his men, Circe turned half of them into swine and Odysseus was saved by a magic charm given to him by Hermes. He forced her to restore his men to human form and remained with her for a year as her lover, after which she gave him advice about his visit to the Underworld and his journey home.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Clare Freestone, Yevonde: Life and Colour, 2023 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 22 June to 15 October 2023), p. 141
- Gibson, Robert; Roberts, Pam, Madame Yevonde: Colour, Fantasy & Myth, 1990 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 20 July - 1 October 1990), p. 76
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1935back to top
Current affairs
Stanley Baldwin starts his third term as Prime Minister after Ramsay Macdonald resigns due to ill health. Coincidentally, Baldwin's first term in office also came about when the Prime Minister of the time, Bonar Law, stepped down due to illness in 1923.Art and science
Robert Watson-Watt demonstrates Radar, showing how an aircraft can be tracked by detecting radio waves reflected off it. During the war, Watson-Watt established a network of machines and operators that helped detect the approach of enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain.Penguin publishes its first paperback books, making reading more portable and affordable to a wider audience.
International
Italy invades Abyssinia. The invasion of the country now known as Ethiopia was part of Mussolini's plan to create an Italian Empire. It was also an attempt to avenge Abyssinia's victory over the Italian army at Adowa in 1896.Germany introduces conscription, breaking the disarmament clause of the Treaty of Versailles.
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See this portrait
On display at The Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne