Women artists have been overlooked throughout history. Although steps are being taken to redress this imbalance, women remain underrepresented in collections and sometimes it can be difficult to find their works or even to know where to start looking. There are thousands of women artists represented on Art UK, and to give you a place to start exploring their works we have created 26 Curations of women artists, divided up by surname A-Z. The set of Curations contains works by 1,000 female artists in total. You won't find the likes of Frida Kahlo or Hilma af Klint as their works are not in UK public collections (yet), but you will find a wealth of art from works by Eileen Agar to Doris Zinkeisen – and plenty more in between.
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Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1829–1862)
The Haunted Wood 1856
Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1829–1862)
Gouache on paper
H 12 x W 11 cm
National Trust, Wightwick Manor
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Grace Everton Sainsbury (1863–1941)
Sheep in Dull Weather
Grace Everton Sainsbury (1863–1941)
Oil on canvas
H 31 x W 51 cm
Buxton Museum & Art Gallery
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Eugénie Marie Salanson (1864–1892)
The Shrimp Fisher
Eugénie Marie Salanson (1864–1892)
Oil on canvas
H 138 x W 103 cm
Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, Renfrewshire Council Collections
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Rebecca Salter (b.1955)
K37 1996
Rebecca Salter (b.1955)
Mixed media on canvas
H 182.9 x W 243.8 cm
Yale Center for British Art
© the artist. Image credit: Yale Center for British Art
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Frieda Salvendy (1887–1965)
Girl with a Doll
Frieda Salvendy (1887–1965)
Oil on canvas
H 68.5 x W 54 cm
University of Sussex
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Ethel Sands (1873–1962)
Nan Hudson Playing Patience at Auppegard, France
Ethel Sands (1873–1962)
Oil on canvas
H 64 x W 52 cm
City of London Corporation
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Emma Sandys (1843–1877)
Pleasant Dreams 1876
Emma Sandys (1843–1877)
Oil on canvas
H 44 x W 32 cm
University of Dundee Fine Art Collections
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Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002)
Grand Tete 1982
Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002)
Polyester, steel & paint
H 170 x W 120 x D 50 cm
Glasgow Life Museums
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Isabel Florrie Saul (1895–1982)
And on a Bright Day Years Ago One Might Have Beheld a Pleasing Crowd like This, Indulging in the Noble Pastime of Falconry near Corfe Castle in the Beauteous Isle of Purbeck 1940
Isabel Florrie Saul (1895–1982)
Tempera on board
H 55.5 x W 63.5 cm
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
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Helen Saunders (1885–1963)
Vorticist Composition (Black and Khaki?) c.1915
Helen Saunders (1885–1963)
Graphite, black ink, watercolour, bodycolour & collage (elements cut out from a separate sheet & superimposed) with scratching out on wove paper, with pinholes at all four corners
H 37.3 x W 28.7 cm
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
© the artist's estate. Image credit: The Courtauld
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Amy Sawyer (1863–1945)
In the Twilight
Amy Sawyer (1863–1945)
Watercolour on paper
H 34.5 x W 52 cm
Bushey Museum and Art Gallery
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Eileen Schaer (b.1948)
Lady Saving a Tiger 2013
Eileen Schaer (b.1948)
Acrylic on board
H 59.8 x W 49.6 cm
Manx National Heritage
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Edith Maud Susanna Scannell (1852–1940)
The Puritan Maid
Edith Maud Susanna Scannell (1852–1940)
Oil on canvas
H 91.5 x W 61 cm
Lady Lever Art Gallery
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Irene Scheinmann (b.1933)
Dance Macabre 1991
Irene Scheinmann (b.1933)
Etching on paper
H 48.5 x W 65.6 cm
Ben Uri Collection
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Mira Schendel (1919–1988)
Untitled (Sem titulo) 1963
Mira Schendel (1919–1988)
Oil on canvas
H 145.9 x W 114 cm
Tate
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Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946)
Chickens amongst Cornstooks c.1888
Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946)
Oil on panel
H 42 x W 52.5 cm
Penlee House Gallery & Museum
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Kathleen Scott (1878–1947)
Captain Scott (1868–1912) 1914–1915
Kathleen Scott (1878–1947)
Bronze & grey granite
H 300 cm
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Deborah Sedgwick (b.1975)
Changing Focus No. 2
Deborah Sedgwick (b.1975)
Oil on canvas
H 66 x W 58 cm
Atkinson Art Gallery Collection
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Seigle (1907–1998)
Le filet de la Vierge 1941
Seigle (1907–1998)
Oil on paper laid on canvas
H 57 x W 78 cm
Rediscovering Art by Women
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Hilda Seligman (1882–1964)
Innocence
Hilda Seligman (1882–1964)
Plaster
H 19 x W 22 x D 16 cm
Kirklees Museums and Galleries
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Florence Seth (1870–1952)
Emmeline 'Nina' Mary Elizabeth Welby-Gregory (1867–1955), Mrs Henry John Cockayne-Cust, in the Library at Chancellor's House, Hyde Park Gate, London
Florence Seth (1870–1952)
Oil on canvas
H 79 x W 150 cm
National Trust, Belton House
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Eileen Seyd (1908–1976)
The Road to Portofino
Eileen Seyd (1908–1976)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 61 cm
Government Art Collection
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Judith Carola Shackleton (b.1945)
Greek Landscape
Judith Carola Shackleton (b.1945)
Oil on canvas
H 44 x W 64 cm
University of Liverpool
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Dorothea Sharp (1874–1955)
Paddlers
Dorothea Sharp (1874–1955)
Oil on canvas
H 84 x W 87 cm
Gallery Oldham
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Nancy Sharp (1909–2001)
(Frederick) Louis MacNeice 1938
Nancy Sharp (1909–2001)
Oil on canvas
H 76.3 x W 63.4 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London
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Matilda Sharpe (1830–1915)
Joseph Bonomi the Younger 1868
Matilda Sharpe (1830–1915)
Oil on canvas
H 50.2 x W 40.3 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London
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Rolinda Sharples (1793–1838)
The Artist and Her Mother 1816
Rolinda Sharples (1793–1838)
Oil on panel
H 36.8 x W 29.2 cm
Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives
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Barbara Neville Shaw (1930–2006)
Rehearsal Call 1984
Barbara Neville Shaw (1930–2006)
Oil on canvas
H 62 x W 74 cm
The Women’s Art Collection
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Margaret Shaw (1917–1983)
Victorian Interior
Margaret Shaw (1917–1983)
Watercolour on paper
H 32 x W 45 cm
Royal Watercolour Society
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Kathleen Trousdell Shaw (1865–1958)
Wilbraham Egerton (1832–1909), 2nd Baron and 1st Earl Egerton of Tatton 1897
Kathleen Trousdell Shaw (1865–1958)
Marble
H 78.7 cm
National Trust, Tatton Park
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Inglis Sheldon-Williams (1870–1940)
Farm Wagon, Exceat, East Sussex
Inglis Sheldon-Williams (1870–1940)
Oil on card
H 23 x W 32.5 cm
Towner
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Clare Sheridan (1885–1970)
Mountain Horse 1937
Clare Sheridan (1885–1970)
Plaster
H 38 x W 19 x D 21 cm
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
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Marjorie Sherlock (1897–1973)
Liverpool Street Station 1917
Marjorie Sherlock (1897–1973)
Oil on canvas
H 116.5 x W 89.5 cm
Government Art Collection
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Beryl Sibbett (active late 19th C–early 20th C)
Flowers
Beryl Sibbett (active late 19th C–early 20th C)
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 50.6 cm
National Museums NI
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Agnes W. Sim (1887–1978)
Portrait of a Woman in a Pink Dress c.1908
Agnes W. Sim (1887–1978)
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm
Edinburgh College of Art (University of Edinburgh)
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Ruth Simpson (1889–1964)
The Milkmaid c.1912
Ruth Simpson (1889–1964)
Oil on canvas
H 92 x W 61.5 cm
Penlee House Gallery & Museum
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Beryl Sinclair (1901–1967)
Winter, Regent's Park 1941
Beryl Sinclair (1901–1967)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 76.5 cm
Government Art Collection
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Elisabetta Sirani (1638–1665)
Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist
Elisabetta Sirani (1638–1665)
Oil on canvas
H 70 x W 50 cm
Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge
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Sylvia Sleigh (1916–2010)
The Bride (Lawrence Alloway) 1949
Sylvia Sleigh (1916–2010)
Oil paint on canvas
H 61 x W 50.8 cm
Tate
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Esphyr Slobodkina (1908–2002)
The Madly Scrambling Circles of Upward Mobility 1950
Esphyr Slobodkina (1908–2002)
Metal, plastic & paint
H 38 x W 26 x D 27 cm
Rediscovering Art by Women
© courtesy of the Slobodkina Foundation, NY and the LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM. Image credit: Rediscovering Art by Women
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Phyllis Cornelia Maud Smale (1897–1978)
Wastwater, Cumbria
Phyllis Cornelia Maud Smale (1897–1978)
Oil on canvas
H 38.5 x W 48.5 cm
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
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Florence Small (1860–1933)
The Bride 1900
Florence Small (1860–1933)
Oil on canvas
H 139.5 x W 139.5 cm
Southwark Art Collection
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Mary Smirke (1779–1853)
Claremont Summer House, Weston-super-Mare 1842
Mary Smirke (1779–1853)
Watercolour on paper
H 17 x W 25.5 cm
North Somerset Council
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Elizabeth Lucy Gabell Smith (1861–1934)
Southease, East Sussex
Elizabeth Lucy Gabell Smith (1861–1934)
Oil on canvas
H 37 x W 48.5 cm
Lewes Town Council
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Ivy Smith (b.1945)
Swimmers 2007
Ivy Smith (b.1945)
Oil on canvas
H 80 x W 184.5 cm
ArtCare, Salisbury District Hospital
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Jane Stewart Smith (1839–1925)
View of the High Street, Looking East, from the Lawnmarket, Edinburgh
Jane Stewart Smith (1839–1925)
Oil on canvas
H 36 x W 54.2 cm
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council
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Dorothy Carleton Smyth (1880–1933)
Self Portrait 1921
Dorothy Carleton Smyth (1880–1933)
Oil on canvas
H 76.8 x W 68.6 cm
Glasgow Life Museums
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Rebecca Solomon (1832–1886)
The Wounded Dove 1866/1872
Rebecca Solomon (1832–1886)
Watercolour on paper
H 45.5 x W 35.5 cm
Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum and Galleries
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Estella Frances Solomons (1882–1968)
Alice Milligan (1866–1953) 1918
Estella Frances Solomons (1882–1968)
Oil on canvas
H 92 x W 71.5 cm
National Museums NI
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Edith Anna Oenone Somerville (1858–1949)
Violet Florence Martin 1886
Edith Anna Oenone Somerville (1858–1949)
Oil on panel
H 21.6 x W 13.3 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London
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Peggy Somerville (1918–1975)
Summer, Aldeburgh, Suffolk c.1960
Peggy Somerville (1918–1975)
Oil on plywood panel
H 46 x W 78.5 cm
Norfolk Museums Service
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Yolanda Sonnabend (1935–2015)
Stephen William Hawking 1985
Yolanda Sonnabend (1935–2015)
Oil on canvas
H 91.4 x W 71 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London
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Eileen Soper (1905–1990)
Eric Liddell (1902–1945), Athlete and Missionary 1925
Eileen Soper (1905–1990)
Oil on canvas
H 73.5 x W 61.5 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
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Elizabeth Sorrell (1916–1991)
Windswept Leaves
Elizabeth Sorrell (1916–1991)
Watercolour on paper
H 16 x W 25 cm
Royal Watercolour Society
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Elizabeth Emma Soyer (1813–1842)
The Dream of Human Life (Le songe de la vie humaine) 19th C
Elizabeth Emma Soyer (1813–1842)
Etching on paper
H 24 x W 17.4 cm
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
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Jean Spencer (1942–1998)
Square Painting No. 1 1982
Jean Spencer (1942–1998)
Oil on linen
H 100 x W 50 cm
Birmingham Museums Trust
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Gertrude Spencer Stanhope (1857–1944)
Orpheus late 19th C–early 20th C
Gertrude Spencer Stanhope (1857–1944)
Bronze
H 42 x W 22 x D 30 cm
Cannon Hall
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Maria Spilsbury (1777–1820)
New Year's Feast at Mr Walter Taylor's Charity School, Portswood Green, near Southampton
Maria Spilsbury (1777–1820)
Oil on canvas
H 62.5 x W 84 cm
Southampton City Museums
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Effie Spring-Smith (1907–1974)
Self Portrait c.1932
Effie Spring-Smith (1907–1974)
Oil on canvas
H 47 x W 36 cm
Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection
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Sara Sproule (1914–2006)
Female Nude
Sara Sproule (1914–2006)
Watercolour on paper
H 45 x W 35 cm
Royal Watercolour Society
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Sylvia St George (1881–1950)
Colchester in Winter
Sylvia St George (1881–1950)
Oil & resin on canvas
H 25 x W 34 cm
Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service: Colchester Collection
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Phoebe Stabler (1879–1955)
Faggot Gatherer 1910
Phoebe Stabler (1879–1955)
Bronze
H 22.5 x W 14 x D 9.5 cm
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
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Constance Louisa Stallard (1870–1959)
Black Lilies
Constance Louisa Stallard (1870–1959)
Tempera on board
H 45.3 x W 30.5 cm
Southampton City Art Gallery
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Eloise Harriet Stannard (1829–1914)
Still Life of Strawberries on a Cabbage Leaf in a Basket 1891
Eloise Harriet Stannard (1829–1914)
Oil on canvas
H 33 x W 28 cm
Norfolk Museums Service
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Emily Stannard (1803–1885)
Dead Game 1837
Emily Stannard (1803–1885)
Oil on mahogany panel
H 42.4 x W 31.1 cm
Norfolk Museums Service
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Hannah Starkey (b.1971)
Mirror – Untitled, September 2015 2015
Hannah Starkey (b.1971)
Framed C-type colour print mounted on aluminium
H 122 x W 152 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
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Georgina Starr (b.1968)
Mentioning 1992
Georgina Starr (b.1968)
Script, score & tape
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
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Louisa Starr Canziani (1845–1909)
Mary Drew, née Peek (1821–1896) 1898
Louisa Starr Canziani (1845–1909)
Oil on canvas
H 178 x W 137 cm
National Trust, Castle Drogo
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Philippa Anna Frederica Stephenson (1858–1941)
Everest Base Camp 1933
Philippa Anna Frederica Stephenson (1858–1941)
Watercolour on board
H 26 x W 38 cm
The Alpine Club Collection
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Marianne Stokes (1855–1927)
Lantern Light 1888
Marianne Stokes (1855–1927)
Oil on canvas
H 82.5 x W 102 cm
Penlee House Gallery & Museum
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Mary Elizabeth Stormont (1871–1962)
The Little Blue Blind
Mary Elizabeth Stormont (1871–1962)
Watercolour on paper
H 18.5 x W 22.8 cm
Rye Art Gallery
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Hilary Strain (1884–1960)
Walter Blackie 1928
Hilary Strain (1884–1960)
Oil on canvas
H 101.5 x W 111 cm
National Trust for Scotland, The Hill House
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Marianne Straub (1909–1994)
Three Textile Designs
Marianne Straub (1909–1994)
Fabric/textile
Fry Art Gallery
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Florence Nightingale Street (1856–1936)
Sir Henry Edward Leigh Dryden (1818–1899), 4th Bt of Canons Ashby and 7th Bt of Ambrosden 1891
Florence Nightingale Street (1856–1936)
Oil on canvas
H 26 x W 20.5 cm
National Trust, Canons Ashby
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Käthe Strenitz (1923–2017)
Backyard of Otaco Ltd Factory, 16 Market Road
Käthe Strenitz (1923–2017)
Oil on board
H 61.5 x W 91.5 cm
Islington Local History Centre and Museum
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Mary Newbery Sturrock (1892–1985)
Tigridia 20th C
Mary Newbery Sturrock (1892–1985)
Mixed media on paper
The Fleming Collection
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Maud Sulter (1960–2008)
La Chevelure (two parts) 2002
Maud Sulter (1960–2008)
Digital prints
H 50.8 x W 50.8 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
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Alice Macallan Swan (1864–1939)
Lady with a Butterfly
Alice Macallan Swan (1864–1939)
Watercolour on paper
H 60 x W 25 cm
Royal Watercolour Society
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Mary Swanzy (1882–1978)
Woman in a Cream Dress and Cameo 1920–1940
Mary Swanzy (1882–1978)
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 64 cm
National Museums NI
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Annie Louisa Swynnerton (1844–1933)
Cupid and Psyche 1890
Annie Louisa Swynnerton (1844–1933)
Oil on canvas
H 147 x W 91 cm
Gallery Oldham
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Rose Aspinall Syers (1850–1932)
A Dutch Town, Windmills
Rose Aspinall Syers (1850–1932)
Oil on canvas
H 49.6 x W 36.7 cm
Sheffield Museums