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ORWELL (SONIA) COLDSTREAM (WILLIAM) Four pencil studies of Sonia Brownell [later Orwell], [late 1939/early 1940]; and a sheet with 2 annotated pencil sketches (head of a man/fruit) by Coldstream, 150 x 208mm. (small group) image 1
ORWELL (SONIA) COLDSTREAM (WILLIAM) Four pencil studies of Sonia Brownell [later Orwell], [late 1939/early 1940]; and a sheet with 2 annotated pencil sketches (head of a man/fruit) by Coldstream, 150 x 208mm. (small group) image 2
Lot 203AR

ORWELL (SONIA)
COLDSTREAM (WILLIAM) Four pencil studies of Sonia Brownell [later Orwell], [late 1939/early 1940]; and a sheet with 2 annotated pencil sketches (head of a man/fruit) by Coldstream, 150 x 208mm. (small group)

29 March 2023, 13:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

£2,000 - £3,000

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ORWELL (SONIA)

COLDSTREAM (WILLIAM) Four pencil studies of Sonia Brownell [later Orwell], on 2 sheets of card, comprising 2 full-page studies on recto (Sonia reclining, and head with eyes closed), and 4 smaller studies on verso (2 smaller head studies of Sonia alongside 2 head studies of an unidentified man with beard and glasses), sheet size 200 x 135mm., [late 1939/early 1940]; and a sheet with 2 annotated pencil sketches (head of a man/fruit) by Coldstream, 150 x 208mm. (small group)

Footnotes

Sketches of Sonia Brownell/Orwell (1918-1980), at the time she was working at the literary magazine Horizon, and involved as a model and mistress to several of the Euston Road School painters including Coldstream. Later she became the wife of George Orwell, and was the inspiration for the character of Julia, the heroine of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Accompanying the drawings is a note by Ian Angus "Drawn by Bill [Coldstream] in late 1939/early 1940 when he lived at 12 Fitzroy Street & Sonia lived at 3 George Street". Many years later William Coldstream had his last studio in the house at 20 Church Row shared by Ian and his wife Anne Stokes.

Provenance: Estate of Ian Angus (1926-2022). Angus co-edited, with Sonia Orwell Collected Journalism, Essays and Letters of George Orwell, 1968, and assisted Peter Davison in editing the 20-volume The Complete Works of George Orwell. He was also instrumental in establishing the Orwell Archive at the University of London.

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