Oil Paint and Grease Paint

Laura Knight is described by art historians as the
most important female artist of 20th-century Britain.
In 1929 she was made a Dame, and in 1936 she became
the first female to be elected to the exclusive Royal
Academy - the first woman since its inception in 1768.
She captured in oils and watercolours the world of
theatre and ballet, became an official war artist during
WWII, and then was sent to Nuremburg to record the
trials in paint. She also made a beeline for marginalised
communities - gypsies, circus performers and the
workers in the Southern states in the US.
Born in Nottinghamshire, she spent time in
Yorkshire, the Netherlands, Cornwall (Lamorna) and
Baltimore. She married Harold Knight in 1903.
Her talents spread beyond just painting - she
designed costumes for theatre and ballet, drew posters
for London Transport and created ceramics for Clarice
Cliff (including the official coronation mug for George
VI).
Her success in the male-dominated British art
establishment paved the way for greater status and
recognition for women artists.