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Lot Essay
Tirzah Garwood (1908-1951) was an English painter, wood-engraver, paper-marbler and author. Known throughout her life primarily as the wife of Eric Ravilious, Garwood’s own contribution to twentieth-century British art has only lately gained the recognition it deserves. The recent exhibition Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious at Dulwich Picture Gallery (November 2024 - May 2025) was the first major retrospective of her work, situating her among the most distinctive female artists of her generation. The present work featured in the final room of the exhibition.
Having studied at the Eastbourne School of Art, Garwood quickly became central to the revival of wood engraving in the late 1920s, exhibiting with the Society of Wood Engravers and the Redfern Gallery. Her work was praised for its intricate, distinctive and faintly whimsical style.
After her marriage to Ravilious in 1930, however, the time and energy required to continue her own practice were redirected towards raising three children. Writing to a friend in 1936, she lamented, 'I always regret that I stopped working because it is difficult with a house to think about'. Even so, she mastered paper-marbling, founding a successful business with Charlotte Bawden, and remained an active member of the Great Bardfield circle of artists.
Ravilious’s death in 1942, lost in action in Iceland, marked a devastating turning point. In the years that followed, as Garwood faced a recurrence of breast cancer, she turned increasingly to oil painting. Her final years were her most productive, producing almost twenty works, including Jenny Unaware.
The painting depicts her daughter Anne, aged eleven, standing within an enclosed aisle of trees. Though Garwood originally included a shadowy figure, later painted out, the finished work radiates calm and tenderness. Anne’s pose, the flowers she holds, and the softly contained setting convey both affection and composure. Balancing intimacy with quiet reflection, Jenny Unaware stands as a particularly strong example of Garwood’s late style: its gentle surface enriched by emotional depth, personal narrative and the delicate interplay between innocence and experience.
Having studied at the Eastbourne School of Art, Garwood quickly became central to the revival of wood engraving in the late 1920s, exhibiting with the Society of Wood Engravers and the Redfern Gallery. Her work was praised for its intricate, distinctive and faintly whimsical style.
After her marriage to Ravilious in 1930, however, the time and energy required to continue her own practice were redirected towards raising three children. Writing to a friend in 1936, she lamented, 'I always regret that I stopped working because it is difficult with a house to think about'. Even so, she mastered paper-marbling, founding a successful business with Charlotte Bawden, and remained an active member of the Great Bardfield circle of artists.
Ravilious’s death in 1942, lost in action in Iceland, marked a devastating turning point. In the years that followed, as Garwood faced a recurrence of breast cancer, she turned increasingly to oil painting. Her final years were her most productive, producing almost twenty works, including Jenny Unaware.
The painting depicts her daughter Anne, aged eleven, standing within an enclosed aisle of trees. Though Garwood originally included a shadowy figure, later painted out, the finished work radiates calm and tenderness. Anne’s pose, the flowers she holds, and the softly contained setting convey both affection and composure. Balancing intimacy with quiet reflection, Jenny Unaware stands as a particularly strong example of Garwood’s late style: its gentle surface enriched by emotional depth, personal narrative and the delicate interplay between innocence and experience.