Raverat, Gwen

Raverat, Gwen (b Cambridge, 26 Aug. 1885; d Cambridge, 11 Feb. 1957).
British printmaker, theatre designer, painter, and writer, the daughter of Sir George Darwin, professor of astronomy at Cambridge University, and granddaughter of Charles Darwin. She studied at the Slade School, but was mainly self-taught in wood engraving, which was her primary activity. Her best-known works are her book illustrations, notably of collections of poems by her cousin Frances Cornford. Her style was bold and vigorous and she was uninterested in technical virtuosity. Although she was art critic for Time and Tide from 1928 to 1939, she did not consider herself a writer and was surprised at the success of Period Piece (1952), an account of her childhood with her own illustrations, which became a best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic.