From the magnificent gardens created by Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst to a striking self-portrait by Angelica Kauffman, the elegant, mass-produced ceramics of Susie Cooper and a model of a Palmyran temple by lady’s maid Elizabeth Ratcliffe, this beautifully illustrated book explores the lives and work of women whose creativity has shaped the National Trust’s collections and, often, the experience of visitors to its places.
Spanning six centuries, this book takes a closer look at some of the many women artists and designers whose lives are connected to National Trust places or whose work is represented in its vast collections. The selection features both talented amateur artists and professionals who have shaped the art-historical canon (such as Eileen Agar, Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, Rosalba Carriera and Barbara Hepworth), focusing on their unique contributions and achievements across a range of disciplines, including garden and interior design, photography, illustration, enamelling, fine art, studio pottery and textiles.