Mary Adshead

ARTIST

Adshead, Mary

1904 – 1995

Mary Adshead studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (1920’24)
under Henry Tonks (1862’1937), who in 1924 selected her for a
mural commission at Highways boys’ club in Shadwell, working
with Rex Whistler (1905’1944). 

She became a prominent muralist, creating decorations for
both public and private spaces, including the British Pavilion at
the 1937 Paris International Exhibition. She also illustrated several
books, such as The Little Boy and His House by Stephen Bone
(1904’1958) (whom she married in 1929), and made designs for
London Transport and the Post Office. 

As a noteworthy female artist, Adshead exhibited frequently
at the WIAC from the mid ‘1930s, before serving on their
committee in 1951. Working at a time when expectations of
women were still largely confined to issues of domesticity, her
prodigious professional output was noteworthy. Her approach to
mural painting ‘ especially in her choice of subjects and her colourful
palette ‘ challenged the perceived divisions which determined that
public and private spaces should necessarily be treated differently. She
was the subject of a retrospective at Liverpool Art Gallery in 2005.

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Mary Adshead

ARTIST

Adshead, Mary

1904 – 1995

Mary Adshead studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (1920’24)
under Henry Tonks (1862’1937), who in 1924 selected her for a
mural commission at Highways boys’ club in Shadwell, working
with Rex Whistler (1905’1944). 

She became a prominent muralist, creating decorations for
both public and private spaces, including the British Pavilion at
the 1937 Paris International Exhibition. She also illustrated several
books, such as The Little Boy and His House by Stephen Bone
(1904’1958) (whom she married in 1929), and made designs for
London Transport and the Post Office. 

As a noteworthy female artist, Adshead exhibited frequently
at the WIAC from the mid ‘1930s, before serving on their
committee in 1951. Working at a time when expectations of
women were still largely confined to issues of domesticity, her
prodigious professional output was noteworthy. Her approach to
mural painting ‘ especially in her choice of subjects and her colourful
palette ‘ challenged the perceived divisions which determined that
public and private spaces should necessarily be treated differently. She
was the subject of a retrospective at Liverpool Art Gallery in 2005.

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+ Share Artist

ARTWORK FOR SALE

Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
The Little Boy and His House, 1936
£1,375
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
A Tropical Fantasy, c. 1926
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Street Scene, c. 1930
£1,950
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Scenes from the Life of Christ: Preaching the Gospel, mid-1920s
£6,750
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Farmers ploughing, Study for The World’s Food mural, c. 1942
£1,100
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Garison Lane Nursery Training School, circa 1930
£1,400
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Portrait of Daphne Charlton, c. 1935
£11,950
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Lunette design for a school mural, 1930’s
£2,300
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
The Landladys Daughters, Llanbedre, near Harlech, c. 1941
£8,950
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Still-life of Poinsettia with Leopard Skin, c. 1935
£9,750
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Beth Tomalin
Forthcoming
Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Livestock Market, (recto) Picking Tealeaves (verso), circa 1930

ARCHIVED WORKS

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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Portrait of a Woman Knitting
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
On the Beach
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Still Life with Gloves, circa 1935
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Portrait of Marjorie Gertler, 1931
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
A Culinary Map of Britain, (Design for glass map for Paris Exhibition 1937 )
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
The Old Rolls on Bodmin Moor, circa 1950
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
For Fun, early 1960’s
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
British Restaurant Coventry After Dinner, 1941
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
High Rise, circa 1960
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Mary Adshead (1904 - 1995)
Nursery Designs