Christopher and Geoffrey Herringham

Annie Swynnerton met fellow artist and suffrage campaigner Christiana Herringham through their mutual friendship with Millicent Fawcett, the President of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Herringham and several of the women in Fawcett’s circle supported Swynnerton by buying her work and commissioning portraits from her, such as this portrait of Herringham’s sons. With May Morris, and many of the leading female artists of their day, Swynnerton and Herringham were founding members of the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907.

Herringham’s two sons are shown taking a rest from gardening as the sun sets in the background. Their clothes and outdoor activities suggest that Herringham followed the progressive approach to parenting favoured by many involved in the Arts and Crafts Movement. They believed that children should have access to fresh air outdoors and wear clothes which would allow them to move freely, instead of wearing tight, restrictive outfits.

Presented to Bedford College by Sir Wilmot Herringham, 1918. Acquired on the merger with Bedford College, 1985.

This work is currently on loan to the Tate.