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Toulon Washerwomen

Print
ca. 1920s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Who was Clare Leighton? (1898 –1989)
Born in England, made prints in England and North America
Printmaking activity: 1922–1989
Clare Leighton was a wood engraver and writer, who later combined her dual careers to produce illustrated books and engraving manuals. Leighton’s early interest in art was encouraged at home, amongst her creative family. After training at the Slade School of Art in the early 1920s, she took evening classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts to learn wood engraving. Thereafter she devoted her talents to the technique, exhibiting her prints regularly and publishing them in periodicals. Her output was prolific: over her career, she made 840 wood engravings and authored 12 books.

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read An introduction to women printmakers Women have made prolific contributions to the medium of print for centuries: from noble women learning a new skill to amuse their friends, to women using print as a means of income, to women painters experimenting with a new medium. This brief introduction highlights just a small number of...

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleToulon Washerwomen (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Wood engraving on paper.
Brief description
'Toulon Washerwomen', wood engraving by Clare Leighton, Great Britain, ca. 1920s.
Physical description
Wood engraving depicting a group of women washing clothes, outside under some trees.
Dimensions
  • Width: 152.4mm (Note: Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1927)
  • Length: 127mm (Note: Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1927)
Marks and inscriptions
'18/? / Clare Leighton' (Handwritten in pencil, below the print.)
Gallery label
(2022)
Toiling beneath the French sun, a group of women wash garments in a large trough. Leighton was drawn to portraying ordinary people at work, and this wood engraving was celebrated by her contemporaries for conveying the hardships women experienced in rural Europe.
Summary
Who was Clare Leighton? (1898 –1989)
Born in England, made prints in England and North America
Printmaking activity: 1922–1989
Clare Leighton was a wood engraver and writer, who later combined her dual careers to produce illustrated books and engraving manuals. Leighton’s early interest in art was encouraged at home, amongst her creative family. After training at the Slade School of Art in the early 1920s, she took evening classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts to learn wood engraving. Thereafter she devoted her talents to the technique, exhibiting her prints regularly and publishing them in periodicals. Her output was prolific: over her career, she made 840 wood engravings and authored 12 books.
Bibliographic reference
Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1927
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.393-1927

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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