Portrait of a lady

   Cover design is a subject which often comes up over at Cornflower Books, and there and elsewhere there's been much debate about the modern style Virago Modern Classics versus their original 'green' counterparts. This picture is on the front of a 1980 Virago, a book I picked up in a charity shop on Saturday knowing nothing about author, title, artist or subject, but very taken by the image.
    It is a self-portrait by Hilda Carline, first wife of Stanley Spencer. You can read about her hapless marriage and about her work here and here (and there's a book, The Art of Hilda Carline: Mrs Stanley Spencer by Alison Thomas), but what struck me was the painting's simplicity, the directness of the woman's expression and the beauty of her face - not conventional beauty or prettiness, but the way it conveys strength of character, a deep-thinking nature, resignation maybe, a serious disposition and perhaps a sensuous one.
     I could be very wide of the mark, of course, knowing nothing about the artist until I began to write this post - which came about simply because the face intrigued me.
    And the book whose cover it graces? You'll find it here.

Later: re. Louise's comment, you should be able to see the picture "Elsie" here, though the watermark/logo rather obscures the subject's face!

Comments

[Mary McCartney]

Her eyes are almost unbearably sad. Reproachful too

[Sian]

I adore the old Virago covers and this is a particularly powerful one. I think they've gone backwards in some ways with their new covers, too many headless girl-in-a-dress beloved of all publishing houses selling books by/about women (a la Julie Myserson covers, etc) which Virago should be avoiding IMO-certainly I've been avoiding buying the new Virago edition of "The Fountain Overflows" because I didn't really like the cover.

[Louise]

I recently took a trip to Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, where the picture 'Elsie' by Hilda Carline is on display. 'Elsie' adorns Christina Stead's 'Cotter's England' in the VMC edition.

[carole]

There's a whole story in that face isn't there? I would buy that book just for the cover. I loved the old Virago covers, I loved the old Penguin ones too. Progress? I'm not sure.

[adele geras]

I agree entirely about the Virago covers. They used to be so fine. And when will the fashion for headless ladies be OVER? I am sick to death of it....
This one is particularly wonderful. And I would love to buy that necklace.And the hat is wonderful, too. Am I being frivolous?

[Jane Rimmer]

I completely agree. The Virago covers were fabulous. I bought so many of them just because of the cover.
There was a wonderful exhibition a couple of years ago at the Usher Art Gallery in Lincoln, of Hilda Carline's work. We were just visiting Lincoln at the time (although it is, in fact, my home city). The Carline family had Lincoln connections, and there is, indeed a Carline Road in Lincoln. I had never heard of Hilda Carline before I saw the exhibition, except as Stanley Spencer's wife - along with many people, I suppose - the fate of many wives of famous men. The pictures were all as lovely as the portrait shown here. Honest and engaging.
Until a recent dusting (!) I had 'The Art of Hilda Carline' poised on the edge of one of my bookshelves so that i could look at that face - the same picture is on the cover.