2023-08-07 07:24:58
2023-08-07 15:24 United News Network corner 24 hours The Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, will exhibit a portrait of a Royal Navy female officer in 2024, but…
▌Looking for the person in the painting: a special exhibition at the Royal Maritime Museum, tracking down the “unknown female officer of World War II”
“We finally have a portrait of a female officer in World War II…but who is she?” The Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, will exhibit a portrait of a female officer in the Royal Navy in 2024, but the museum is worrying regarding a Question—Who is this female officer?The painting was painted in 1945, and the person in the painting is from World War IIRoyal Women’s Naval Service(WRNS) officer, since most of the portraits of officers at that time were male, the rarity of the painting attracted the attention of the museum. However, looking for information on a single WWII soldier is like looking for a needle in a haystack—at present, the museum is still trying to find clues regarding the identity of the female officer by analyzing the details of the painting, hoping to fill in the absence of female images in the art history of WWII.
The WRNS, where the female officer in the painting serves, was first established in 1917 during the First World War with 5,500 members; following the end of the First World War in 1919, the WRNS was also disbanded. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, WRNS was reorganized, and its members included cooks, clerks, radio operators, radar plotters, weapons analysis, electricians, aviation mechanics, etc. logistics (medical care was not included in WRNS); At the time, the WRNS had as many as 75,000 active-duty women.
WRNS contributed a lot to the United Kingdom in World War II. After the war, the organization of WRNS remained until it was incorporated into the Royal Navy in 1993.The paintings of female officers purchased by the Royal Maritime Museum in 2022 last year were from the painterMcCulloch(Josephc Culloch), in view of the fact that most of the portraits of officers left during World War II are men, this painting can be said to be quite rare and unique.
Katherine Gazzard, curator at the Royal Maritime Museum, said:
“It’s a very distinctive portrait, very fascinating. It’s also a very special addition to our collection because while we have a lot of portraits of officers and sailors, we don’t have any portraits of women officers Or formal portraits of female sailors…female figures in our collection might be officers’ wives, or queens, which is a huge omission from us.”
WWII recruiting poster.Figure/Wikimedia Commons
The identity and name of the female officer in the painting are a mystery. Before the painting is exhibited publicly, the Royal Maritime Museum hopes to find out who she is. Time has passed, but there are some omissions, among which the proportion of female soldiers is relatively small, and the information left behind is even scarcer.
Gazzard and the museum team tried to find clues to the identity of the female officer from the details in the painting: Judging from the blue ring on the sleeve of the military uniform, she should be a third-class officer. medal. There appears to be a wedding ring on the hand, but this cannot be confirmed due to McCulloch’s rough, scribbled drawing style.
After the museum purchased this painting, it did not obtain relevant detailed information except for the painting itself. Gazzard guessed that since most of McCulloch’s exhibited works were landscape paintings and few portraits of people, it is speculated that the person in the painting may be An acquaintance of McCulloch, or a friend of a friend; McCulloch was working in Chelsea, London, when he created the painting, and often wrote on Chelsea Art Club stationery. recognize. Due to insufficient background information, it is not yet possible to confirm that the person in the painting is indeed a serving female officer, or just a model wearing a female officer’s uniform.
WRNS female soldiers during World War II.Figure/Wikimedia Commons
Although it is like finding a needle in a haystack, the museum still hopes to find out the identity of the female officer in the painting. Gazzard pointed out that the lack of female figures in the navy in the past in World War II in related art reflects the cultural gap so far regarding women in World War II. There is still widespread underrepresentation, so it is important to try to find out who the female officer is. Gazzard added that museums have also prioritized far more portraits of men than women in the past.
The Royal Maritime Museum is expected to open in 2024, atQueen’s Palace(Queen’s House) exhibits this portrait, which will be signed withGladys E ReedIt is exhibited alongside the sketches of the enigmatic artist – little is known regarding Gladys E Reed, other than an archival letter shared with the painting, that Reed served in the WRNS as a wireless telegraph operator in Liverpool. His sketches are 14 pencil sketches of WRNS female soldiers, who are engaged in tasks including using radios and repairing torpedo tubes.
These sketches were exhibited in 2014. According to the analysis of the curator at the time, Melanie Vandenbrouck, the artist’s painting skills are excellent, and he obviously received art school training, and paintings depicting WRNS wartime work are also extremely rare. Among them, what attracts the most attention is the observation angle of the painter Gladys E Reed, which is obviously different from the official artist’s brushwork from outside. It is obvious that he is very close and familiar with the female soldiers in the same robe, so he can paint so close and delicately. out.
The sketches of Gladys E Reed, and the portraits of female officers to be exhibited in 2024, are both fillers for the images of women who participated in the war, contributed to the country and even died during World War II for the British cultural circle, and return to the same war heroes Women deserve their place. At present, the Royal Maritime Museum is still studying the identity of the female officer in the painting, and also expressed the hope that if anyone recognizes the female officer, they can inform the museum.
Gladys E Reed’s sketch of a female soldier performing tasks ranging from using radios to repairing torpedo tubes… Behind the Camera UK
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