Edna Clarke Hall
Edna Clarke Hall (1879 – 1979) was an acclaimed artist distinctive for her vibrant watercolours that enabled her to ‘draw a subject quickly, seize it, convey my impression.’ She displayed artistic virtuosity from an early age, attending the Slade School of Art in London at just 14, and was part of a gifted circle of women who took advantage of the Slade’s relative gender parity.
The V&A holds the largest collection of Clarke Hall’s art, reflecting the range of her remarkable practice, from lively student sketchbooks to colourful Poem Paintings, and etchings for the novel Wuthering Heights. Her visionary and expressive works demonstrate the infinite creative exchange between art and literature.
Collection highlights
-
Seated woman, watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1923, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Pages from a sketchbook, drawing and watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, about 1900, BritainV&A South Kensington -
A boy and a girl by an inglenook, etching, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1920s, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Poem painting, watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1922 – 26, BritainV&A South Kensington -
An embrace, etching, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1920, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Study at Portscatho, Cornwall, watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1925, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Male nude, drawing, by Edna Clarke Hall, about 1900 – 35, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Flowers in a bowl, watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1938, BritainV&A South Kensington -
Poem painting, watercolour and gouache, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1925 – 27, BritainV&A South Kensington
Header image:
Seated woman, watercolour, by Edna Clarke Hall, 1923, Britain. Museum no. E.2934-1948. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London