Victoria Monkhouse
British artist (1883-1970)
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Victoria Monkhouse (1883–1970) was a British artist and illustrator, notable for her depictions of women working on the British Home Front during the First World War.
Victoria Monkhouse | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1883 |
| Died | 1970 (aged 86–87) |
| Education | Cambridge University |
| Known for | Painting, caricatures |
Biography
Monkhouse attended Cambridge University and, alongside her studies, she created a series of caricatures of university academics which the Cambridge University Magazine published during 1907.[1]
Following the establishment of the Imperial War Museum, IWM, during the First World War, a decision was made to record the contribution women were making to the war effort. Agnes Conway, the daughter of the honorary director-general of the IWM, was appointed to chair the Museum's new Women's Work Sub-Committee.[1] Conway appears to have known of Monkhouse's academic caricatures from her own time at Cambridge University.[2] Through a mutual acquaintance, Conway contacted Monkhouse and commissioned her, in May 1918, to produce a series of sketches and watercolours showing women working in jobs left vacant by men who were serving in the forces.[1] Monkhouse produced a series showing women working as bus conductors, drivers, window cleaners and in other previously exclusively male roles.[3][4]
After the War, Monkhouse exhibited in some group shows in the early 1920s but does not appear to have pursued a professional artistic career beyond that. The IWM regularly features Monkhouse's work in their exhibitions to favourable reviews.[5]