clare sheridan ( 1885- 1970 ) was a cousin of Sir winston churchill whom she embarrassed with her wild behaviour. She married in 1910 and had three children, one of whom, elizabeth, died in 1914. Grief-stricken by the loss, Sheridan sculpted a small weeping angel for the child's grave, which is how she first discovered her talent and passion for sculpting. she was soon to loose her husband, killed in action at the battle of loos in september 1915, barely one week after the birth of their son. grief stricken again she immersed her self in her new found creativity and in 1918 she had her first public exhibition of her portrait sculptures at the summer exhibition of the interbational society of sculptors, painters and gravers in london. later that year she showcased a portrait bust of h.g. wells and in the societys autumn exhibition she exhibited a piece titled " study " a self portrait.
An admirer of communism, she visited the Soviet Union in 1920. She sculpted Lenin and Trotsky, later publishing her diary. She went to Mexico and America. it was in america she landed her first job as an official journalist with the new york world as a roving european correspondent. it was also in america where she had a widely publicised affair with charlie chaplin. During their time together, she also famously sculpted a portrait bust of him. The relationship eventually ended due to the relentless hounding by journalists and the public pressure surrounding them.
Her second trip to Russia, in 1923, was disillusioning. She took her children to live in Turkey and then Algeria and continued to sculpt and write, travelling to montana in 1937. in 1942 she sculpted sir winston churchill. due to wartime demands, the sittings were over two weeks, Churchill could only sit still for her in the mornings while he was working from bed in the underground war rooms. Copies of the bronze bust were acquired by Chartwell (Churchill's family home), Harrow School, and various British collections. Restless after World War II, clare Sheridan moved to galway, ireland . here she converted to catholism her sculptures becoming heavilly spiritual, focusing on creating religious wood carvings and icons, frequently exhibiting her work in dublin. In 1954, she published her final major book and memoir," to the four winds."
She eventually moved back to England, residing in belmont house in Hastings, Sussex, near her family's ancestral home of Brede. She lived there until her death on 31 May 1970 at the age of 84.
Madame Yevonde (Yevonde Middleton) ( 1893-1975 ) was a visionary who reshaped portrait photography in the 1930s. Celebrated for her championing of women's independence and her technical mastery, her work is heavily collected by major international museums. To find a vintage print featuring her original pencil signature on the mount, coupled with a sitter of Sheridan's historical magnitude, is an extraordinary market rarity.
