Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

By Grayson Brewer

In the first major exhibition dedicated to Tirzah Garwood, Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious explores the work of the British artist and printmaker. Often subjected to the shadow of her husband, artist Eric Ravilious, this exhibition is a rare and long-overdue showcase of the full extent of her work, giving it the critical examination it deserves for the first time. Born Eileen Lucy Garwood in Gillingham, Kent, in 1908, she was given the nickname ‘Tertia’, meaning third child in Latin. This was often misheard as ‘Tirzah’ by herself and her older siblings, which stuck and remained for the rest of her life. In 1925 she began taking night classes at the Eastbourne School of Art where she met her future husband, Eric Ravilious. At the time he was teaching at the school, hence his influence on her craft. The exhibition includes ten of his watercolours to draw out thematic similarities with Garwood’s work whilst showing their distinctive artistic personalities. Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious explores expression of creativity in times of adversity and the ‘sophisticated naïve’ approach which Garwood used to infuse seemingly innocent and straightforward subjects with deeper meaning.

In 1930, Garwood married Ravilious. They moved to a home in rural Essex which they shared with artists Caroline and Edward Bawden. This time was challenging to Garwood in an artistic sense, as the home had a constant stream of visitors and women were often left to do the domestic work. Juggling the demands of motherhood and household duties, she was left with little time to produce the wood engravings which she had become known for, however she developed a newfound passion for marbling paper. The experimental designs include delicate repeat patterns layered together to create a harmonious and distinct style, unlike anything being made in Europe at the time. Garwood used these papers in her work, often serving as backdrops for her collages. They were also ordered by publishers, interior design shops, and private clients.

Figure 1. Tirzah Garwood, Marbled Papers, 1934-41. Image courtesy of author.

The theme of childhood is woven throughout the exhibition. Garwood’s children John, James, and Anne served as inspiration for the dreamlike whimsy in many of her works. Garwood wrote for Child Education magazine of ‘the charming distortions of perspective and proportion, the fantasy and the unexpected beauties of colour that children produce in their pictures.’ Representing all areas of her work during this period, pencil sketches and prints of her children are exhibited.

Figure 2. Tirzah Garwood, Portrait of Anne Ravilious, 1944, print, ink and collage. Image courtesy of author.

Ravilious and Garwood eventually moved to their own home in the town of Castle Hedingham in northern Essex. The next few years presented several hardships to Garwood. With the outbreak of World War II, the demand for her marbled papers decreased. In 1941 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, before losing her husband the following year while he was serving as a war artist in Iceland.

The third room of the exhibition represents the beginning of Garwood’s life after her husband. In the years following his death, Garwood took up oil painting for the first time, adopting a purposely naive yet direct style. She focused on children’s toys and was inspired by illustrations in Victorian children’s books. Her painting Etna (Figure 3) depicts an East Sussex landscape from the viewpoint from Furlongs in the nearby hamlet of Beddingham, the home of Garwood’s friend and artist Peggy Angus. Garwood employs a low vantage point, positioning the viewer at eye level with the foreground chickens. This perspective creates the illusion that the barley and wildflowers are towering over the chickens. The meticulous detailing of the hens' feathers, delicate flora, and greenery showcases Garwood's keen observational skills and her affinity for capturing the subtleties of life in the countryside. Garwood plays with proportions, infusing the painting with surrealism and whimsy. The chickens appear even larger than the driver of a toy train, modeled after a tin toy named ‘Etna’ that Garwood had acquired from a jumble sale. This aspect, potentially added for the amusement of her children, brings a playful and dreamlike aspect to the painting.

Figure 3. Tirzah Garwood, Etna, 1944, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of Dulwich Picture Gallery.

After marrying BBC producer Henry Swanzy in 1946, Garwood began including portraits of houses in her work, inspired by the creativity of her children and the post-war Pictures for Schools exhibitions. The train in Etna closely is strikingly similar the physical toy train seen in one of her later works, Background to Toy Train (Figure 4). This work includes an oil on canvas painting featuring a house and its surrounding landscape. On 10 May 1950, Henry Swanzy recorded the following in his diary: ‘At home, she (Tirzah) is painting the Georgian doll’s house with special care.’ This insight gives context to the work, suggesting that the house is in fact a dollhouse, and the three figures standing outside waving to the train are dolls, adding a touch of fantasy to the scene where reality and play intertwine. The work is uniquely displayed in a box frame, creating a theatrical diorama effect. This deliberate choice almost encloses the scene, inviting viewers to peer into the fictional world. Placed in front of the oil painting backdrop, a tin toy train creates a bridge from the tangible to the surreal. The juxtaposition of a three-dimensional object and a painted scene enriches the narrative and exemplifies Garwood's ability to transform everyday objects into whimsical art forms.

Figure 4. Tirzah Garwood, Background to Toy Train, 1950, oil on canvas, with tin plate toy. Image courtesy of author

An additional highlight of the exhibition is Garwood’s Scrapbook. Made for both her children’s enjoyment and her own pleasure, the work was an ongoing project. It was filled with artworks by friends and family, cutting, and ephemera. It also included some of her own marbled papers and unfinished watercolours by Ravilious. Considering the context in which it was created, during a period of illness for Garwood, the Scrapbook can be seen as a creative refuge in a time of physical limitation.

Figure 5. Tirzah Garwood, Scrapbook, c.1947-49, Victorian guard book with collaged pages. Image Courtesy of author.

The exhibition concludes with a series of works from Garwood’s final year of life. Due to her cancer and declining health, Garwood moved into a nursing home, where she died on 27 March 1951. Despite her conditions, Garwood described this time as the happiest year of her life. Taking inspiration from the things that had always inspired her, such as Victorian children’s books and rural life, she created a series of small painting, reflecting her confinement to bed. The scenes often appeared idyllic yet obliquely addressed her unfortunate situation.

Figure 6. Tirzah Garwood, 1950, Springtime of Flight, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of Dulwich Picture Gallery

Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious offers a profound exploration of the artist’s inspirations and creative evolution, revealing how she forged a distinct artistic identity alongside personal struggles, and celebrating her artistic achievements in her own right.

Bibliography

Dulwich Picture Gallery. “Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious (19 November 2024 – 26 May 2025).” https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/about/press-media/press-releases/tirzah-garwood-beyond-ravilious-19-november-2024-26-may-2025/

 Modern British Art Gallery. “Background to Toy Train, 1950.” https://modernbritishartgallery.com/artwork/background-to-toy-train-1950/