Biography
Gwen Raverat, the daughter of the astronomer Sir George Howard Darwin (1845–1912) and his wife, Maud du Puy (1861–1947), of Philadelphia, was born on 26 August 1885 in Cambridge, where she spent her childhood. Her father was professor of astronomy and she had two uncles at Cambridge, while her mother's uncle by marriage was Sir Richard Jebb, professor of Greek.
By the age of ten Gwen Darwin was already drawing continuously from life and strongly wished to become an artist. In 1908 she went to the Slade School of Art, then under Frederick Brown and Henry Tonks, where she learned painting, but she taught herself wood-engraving. At Cambridge before the First World War she found herself a member of a group of talented young men and women, of whom the most prominent was Rupert Brooke. She fell in love with Jacques Pierre Raverat, a young French mathematical student from the Sorbonne who was continuing his studies at Emmanuel College, and persuaded him to become a painter and join her at the Slade. They were married in 1911.
At the outbreak of war the Raverats were living in Cambridgeshire, but in 1915 they went to Le Havre to be near his family. Jacques Pierre Raverat, by then suffering from disseminated sclerosis, tried to join the French army as an interpreter. He failed, and the couple returned to England and lived at Weston, near Baldock, Hertfordshire, where their two daughters were born: Elizabeth on 26 December 1916 and Sophie Jane on 20 December 1919. In 1920 they went again to France and lived at Vence, where Gwen Raverat nursed her husband through his long final illness, until his death in 1925. She then returned to England to live at the Old Rectory, at Harlton, near Cambridge. In 1941 she moved into rooms in Cambridge, and finally took the Old Granary at the end of the garden of her birthplace, Newnham Grange.
Apart from illustrating 'Spring Morning' (1915), a little paper-bound book of early poems by her lifelong friend and cousin Frances Cornford, Raverat's work until the 1930s consisted of single prints. These were widely exhibited, and gave her a standing among fellow artists and collectors. She was a founder member of the Society of Wood Engravers in 1920, and active on its committees, which met at her studio in Mecklenburgh Square, London. After 1932, when the Cambridge University Press published her engravings for a second edition of The Cambridge Book of Poetry for Children, selected by Kenneth Grahame, her work was in continual demand from publishers. Her last important work was the writing of 'Period Piece' (1952), a perceptive account of her upbringing and family. She contributed art criticism to 'Time and Tide' between 1928 and 1939.
After a stroke in 1951 Raverat could no longer engrave, but she continued to paint. She died in Cambridge on 11 February 1957.
Found in 24 Collections and/or Records:
Item
Item
Reference Code: GBR/2511/DCPP/DARWINS/1/1
Scope and Contents
Children’s portraits presumed to be of Gwen and Margaret Darwin taken in the 1890s
Dates:
1890
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/DCPP/DARWINS/1/4
Scope and Contents
Five black and white photographs of Gwen Raverat and three black and white photographs of the Old Granary
Dates:
1950 - 1957
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/BEN3/7
Scope and Contents
From the Record Group:
Assets include benefactions and collections, buildings, Dining Righters, Fellows, and staff
Dates:
1981-12-08 - 2009-06-19
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
Series
Series
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10286/4
Scope and Contents
Contains letters sent to Gwen Raverat and a large collection of envelopes addressed to Gwen Raverat.
Dates:
1901-1946
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/O/M/D/1
Scope and Contents
Correspondence from Mr and Mrs Edward Darwin - studio portrait of George Howard Darwin and photographs of Newnham Grange; Stephen Keynes - 1953 self portrait of Gwen Raverat, Gwen Raverat print of Old Silver Street Bridge; George Darwin relating to donations they gave the College and the Family portraits held within the Darwin Heirlooms Trust and loaned to Darwin College; Angela Darwin confirming the gift of the set of two silver candelabra and two candlesticks; about possible gifts to be...
Dates:
1989-05-29 - 2011-08-17
Conditions Governing Access:
This material is closed to scholars for 80 years from the date of creation under data protection legislation
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/O/B/3/1
Scope and Contents
Correspondence with Lady Darwin and George Darwin which concern the loan and sale of furniture at Newnham Grange, inventory of the furniture, structural engineers at Newnham College and the Old Granary, and enquiries about portraits loaned by the family to Darwin College. Also includes correspondence enquiring about information related to the Darwin family sent by members of the public. File contains photographs taken of Gwen Raverat with information written about each which were taken by...
Dates:
1964-03-06 - 2005-10-17
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/DCPP/KEYNES 1/1/2/2
Scope and Contents
Draft of passages on Newnham Grange, Louis Clarke, Gwen Raverat, and Jacques Raverat. Also includes a list of maps and plans to include.
Dates:
1960
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
Fonds
Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.9209
Scope and Contents
Gwendolen Mary Darwin (1885-1957), daughter of Sir George Darwin, married Jacques Pierre Paul Raverat in 1911. [Papers presently being catalogued, include letters to Gwen Raverat from: Charles Galton Darwin (brother), William Robert Darwin (brother), Frances Darwin, Georges Raverat 1934-38, 3 from Hillaire Belloc 1913-14; letters on her engagement and marriage 1911; Darwin family photographs; drawings by Lady (Ida) Darwin, wife of Sir Horace Darwin; watercolours by Elizabeth or Charlotte...
Dates:
1900-1950 (20th century)
Conditions Governing Access:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/O/M/E/15
Scope and Contents
This file contains records which include lists of Regrets and Acceptances for the Reception and the Dinner, forty photographs from the unveiling taken by P.K.W. Photography, an article from the Evening News, and a seating plan for the dinner. Correspondence in this file are written or received by Sophie Gurney, Joyce Graham, Professor Brown, Erasmus Barlow, Jonathon Barker (Company Secretary, Cambridge Blue Plaque Scheme), Chris Elliott ‘Blue Plaque Committee’, Jane Darwin, Stephen Keynes...
Dates:
2003-01-10 - 2003-07-03
Conditions Governing Access:
This material is closed to scholars for 80 years from the date of creation under data protection legislation
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/O/CW/1/20
Scope and Contents
The photographs show the unveiling of the plaque for Gwen Raverat on Newnham Grange. On the back the photographs are numbered 5 and 34. 6 of the negative strips are labelled 6706 and each individual photograph on the strip is numbered 1-32. The second group of 6 strips of negatives are labelled 6705 and the individual photographs on the strip are numbered 33-39. Packaging is labelled PHIL PKW
Dates:
2003-03
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
Fonds
Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10286
Scope and Contents
Contains letters and papers held by Ida Darwin. The bulk of the collection are letters sent to Ida Darwin but also includes a small quantity sent to her husband Horace Darwin, a small collection of papers relating to the purchase of opals by her son Erasmus Darwin, a collection of envelopes addressed to and letters sent to Gwen Raverat, photographs of Ida's family, and a few items of ephemera.
Dates:
1862-1946
Conditions Governing Access:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
Item
Item
Reference Code: GBR/2511/BEN9/1
Scope and Contents
Letter from Claire Barlow with a picture, description and history of the painting by Gwen Raverat of a Landscape near Harlton that is being donated by Claire Barlow, Martin Barlow and his wife Colleen [Barlow?]
Dates:
2024-08-21
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.8889/2/11
Scope and Contents
From the Fonds:
The collection largely comprises letters addressed to Sassoon although there are few other recipients such as Glen Byam Shaw and Georgiana Theresa Thornycroft, Siegfried Sassoon's mother. There are also some postcards; draft and unpublished copies of poems; bills; and other related papers.
Dates:
5 July 1956
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
Series
Series
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.8856/372
Scope and Contents
Sends back Gide, 'an excellent portrait; just what I saw myself'
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.9790/1/3
Scope and Contents
Contains 11 letters addressed to Nora Barlow née Darwin. The majority of the letters were written in September in the days following the birth of Nora's fourth child, Andrew Dalmahoy Barlow, born 16 September 1916 and include two letters from Ida Darwin and a letter from Gwen and Jacques Raverat. The letters from Ruth Darwin include descriptions of a visit to Somerset and Wales undertaken in late September with her parents.
Dates:
Sep.-Nov. 1916
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10304/51
Scope and Contents
(1)-(2): Two letters from de la Mare, autograph and typescript signed, 30 December 1935 and 7 September 1942. (3)-(7): Five letters from Sassoon, autograph, 11 June 1938, 29 June 1954, 21 June 1955, 30 June 1956 and 18 July 1956.
Dates:
1935-1956
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
The collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10286/1/8/16
Scope and Contents
Contains 49 letters from Nora to Ida Darwin sent between 1 January and 29 December 1915. Amongst news of family and social engagements, the letters make reference to Zeppelin raids on London in September and October 1915 and of work undertaken by Nora in the Chemical Department at Bedford College.
Includes letters from Isobel Addison, Alan Barlow, Erasmus Darwin and Gwen Raverat to Nora, and letters from Ella Coltman and Ruth Darwin to Ida.
Dates:
1915
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10286/1/8/19
Scope and Contents
Contains 35 letters from Nora to Ida Darwin sent between 5 January and 12 November 1919. Amongst news of family and social engagements, the letters make reference to visits to Great Missenden and Yorkshire, of an unexploded shell falling on Nora's London home in Lansdowne Road on 19 May 1918, and an account of armistice day celebrations in London and of Nora's thoughts and feelings on the end of the war.Includes letters from Frances Cornford, Charles Galton Darwin, Alice Pell and...
Dates:
1918
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
Fonds
Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.8904
Scope and Contents
Comprises: [1] Family correspondence; correspondence with her cousin, Gwen Raverat (née Darwin), 1903-50, her sons, Andrew Dalmahoy Barlow, Erasmus Darwin Barlow and Horace Basil Barlow, her daughter, Hilda Horatia Barlow and other members of the Barlow and Darwin familites; and general correspondence. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically and chronologically, with little detail about the content or subject-matter of the letters. [2] Early genetics research: notebooks,...
Dates:
1840-1970 (Circa)
Conditions Governing Access:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/2511/DCPP/KEYNES 1/1/1/2/6
Scope and Contents
Photographs of Drawing Room at Newnham Grange, Newnham Millpool, group photograph of C.G.D, G.M.D, M.E.D. by R.H. Lord, photograph of Maud Darwin, Ella Du Puy and George Darwin, as well as photograph of Gwen Raverat and Maud Darwin in the American Pram. Also includes maps of Cambridge, side elevation and drawing of the Counting House, floor plan of the Old Granary, tracing of map of Silver Street, plan of College site, plan titled The Mill House.
Dates:
1792 - 1965
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
Item
Item
Reference Code: GBR/2511/BLO/GRH11
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Series:
Originally known as Anderson's Court, the building was erected for the Kelsey Housing Association by Llewellyn Construction Ltd. Quantity surveyors for Kelsey: TP Associates Ltd, and for the college, Davis, Langdon and Everest. The building was opened by Gwen Raverat's younger daughter, Mrs Sophie Gurney, on 12 December 1996.
Dates:
1996-12-02
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Darwin College Archives is committed to providing access to its collections for the purposes of teaching, research and administrative reference. Access to collections must be facilitated by archival staff and materials are not to be removed from the archival storage facility without the express consent of the archivist and appropriate documentation for legitimate purposes only, such as reproduction or display. Access to collections is subject to statutory and legal limitations relating to data protection and copyright restrictions under the 2018 Data Protection Act, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, and relevant copyright legislation. Records containing personal and special category data under General Data Protection Regulations will be closed on data protection grounds while the named individuals are (or may be) alive. Restrictions may also be placed on uncatalogued records and donated material in accordance with donors’ wishes.
Item
Item
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.9790/4
Scope and Contents
Single postcard from Gwen Raverat to Nora Barlow sent from Arezzo, Italy.
Dates:
20 Mar. 1914
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
File
File
Reference Code: GBR/0265/UA/PRESS 3/1/2/10155
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The correspondence comprises incoming letters, including readers' reports.This series is known as ‘author files’ because the arrangement is focused upon the individual. Some contain correspondence only. The correspondence includes readers' reports from 1913 onwards.As the new Press Archive catalogue is not yet complete, please use the 'Former / Other Reference' to request these items.For the number of items (not the number of letters) see the number in brackets after the Former /...
Dates:
1931 - 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
Scholarly access to this material may be restricted if it contains information exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 2000. Please apply in advance to the Cambridge University Press Archivist.
Fonds
Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.9268
Scope and Contents
Correspondence between Sir George Darwin and solicitors E.F. Turner and Sons about Gwen Raverat's marriage settlement (1911); solicitors' detailed accounts, 1911-17; and correspondence between E.F. Turner and Sons and French solicitors about the preparation of Gwen Raverat's will (1917).
Dates:
3 Mar. 1911-17 Oct. 1917
Conditions Governing Access:
Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
