William Orpen
, Irish, 1878-1931
Title
Illustrated letter from William Orpen to Mrs St George with a sketch of the artist paintingMediumInk on Paper
Dimensions
21 x 20.6 cm
Credit LinePresented, Mrs Vivien Graves, 1974
Object numberNGi.7830.243
DescriptionOrpen’s extensive correspondence with Mrs St George features multiple depictions of himself at work. Many of these likenesses are selfdeprecating and full of humour. He tended to illustrate his various ailments in his letters, as if innocently seeking sympathy from the recipient. Here, he clutches his stomach, noting ‘This is the start of a very carefully thought out picture; it shows Woppy in deep thought with a pain in his ‘stomick’…’(Katie Buckley, Curatorial Fellow - Prints and Drawings, An Artist's Presence, 2025, Print Gallery)