Archives & Library – Acquisition of Evelyn Dunbar sketchbooks

Most usually known as the only woman ‘salaried’ WW2 war artist, Evelyn Dunbar (1907-1960) was artist-in-residence at Bletchley Park (teacher training) College in 1957, and painted the ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’ panels for the library which moved with the college to Wheatley in 1966, and are still in place. The original plan had been that she would paint a mural across the back wall of the hall, for which the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History holds some exquisite studies.

Recently a collection of her sketchbooks has been rediscovered, which have now been acquired by the Centre. Following her sudden death in 1960, her studio contents were packed up and stored. Much emerged a few years ago, from the loft of a converted oast-house in Kent, including preparatory sketches for ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega,’ which the university bought. However, the sketchbooks were in an outhouse, where they have suffered predictable deterioration.

Her drawing and painting was accomplished, and in recent years has been appreciated more, especially following an exhibition at Pallant House, Chichester. Her works are in the Tate and other major galleries. These sketchbooks will add considerably to artistic and general appreciation – they include early work from her schooldays but also sketches for her wartime work, where her great contribution was depicting women’s contribution to the war effort, in hospitals, farms or the ‘home front’. Once they have been conserved (for which the Centre is applying for significant external funding), these will be a very important collection for research and understanding of her art.

The sketchbooks are currently undergoing conservation assessment and will be made available for research after appropriate treatment.