Portrait of Elsie

Elsie Munday joined the Spencer family as a maid in 1928, when they were living at Chapel View, Burghclere. She moved with them to Cookham in 1931, and remained with the artist after Hilda, the artist's first wife, divorced him in 1937. Spencer was fond of Elsie, and he accorded her the honour of a separate 'chapel' in the Church House scheme. (Tate 733.2.430). Although no finished pictures were painted, the scheme exists in the form of drawings in the Scrapbook series (see C. Leder, op. cit.) executed between 1939 and 1944. (see K. Bell, op. cit., p.419).