Clare Frewen Sheridan
Encyclopedia
Clare Sheridan (9 September 1885 - 31 May 1970), was an English
sculptress and writer who is known primarily for creating busts
for famous sitters, and writing diaries recounting her worldly travels. She was a cousin of Sir Winston Churchill
, with whom she had enjoyed an amicable relationship, but her support for the October Revolution caused them to break ranks politically in the 1920s.
of East Sussex
and his American wife, the former Clarita "Clara" Jerome. She married Wilfred Frederick Sheridan in 1910; they had three children. Wilfred Sheridan was a Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, he was killed while leading his men at the Battle of Loos
in 1915. Her godmother and namesake was Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough.
After the death of her second child, Elizabeth, in 1914, Sheridan sculpted a weeping angel as an outpouring for her grief. It was from this piece of art that she discovered an ability for sculpting, and after the death of her husband a year later, she moved from France to London to study under John Tweed and Professor Edouard Lanteri
.
While visiting America, Sheridan had a love affair with Charlie Chaplin
. She enjoyed travelling around the world, and among her circle of friends were Princess Margaret of Sweden, Lord
and Lady Mountbatten
, Lady Diana Cooper
, Vita Sackville-West
and Vivien Leigh
.
Her famous busts of her first cousin Churchill can be found at Blenheim Palace
, Chartwell, Harrow School and Hastings Town Hall; the original plaster is in the possession of her great-nephew Jonathan Frewen. In 1956 Sheridan moved to Belmont House a fine property in Hastings Old Town. She had a large collection of American Indian artifacts, some of which are on display at Hastings Museum and in the Frewen family's ancestral village of Brede in Sussex.
In the summer of 1920 a Soviet Russian trade delegation on a visit to London invited Clare to travel to Russia to make busts of notable revolutionaries. In the autumn she travelled to Moscow
, where her sculpting subjects included Vladimir Lenin
, Leon Trotsky
, Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky
and Lev Kamenev
. While in Russia Sheridan is reputed to have had affairs with more than one of her sitters. Her reputed relationship with Kamenev is thought to have led to his divorce from his first wife, Olga Kameneva
; and author Robert Service, in his 2009 book, claims to an affair between Sheridan and Trotsky. Trotsky signed and dedicated a painting of himself to Clare.
Sheridan's dalliance with known Soviet agents earned her the suspicions of the Security Service, which became convinced that she was an agent and a dangerous anti-British propagandist. She attracted the attention of the Security Service after being invited to Moscow in 1920 to sculpt Lenin, Trotsky and Zinoviev. This earned her an MI5 file, in which she was labelled as a dangerous propagandist
. The service noted: "She has conducted herself in a disloyal manner in various foreign countries, adopting a consistently anti-British attitude." In 1925 telephone taps revealed that she had, allegedly, passed details of conversations with Churchill, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, to Norman Ewer, foreign editor of the Daily Herald and a known Soviet agent. Later in 1925 Sheridan moved to Algiers
, where it was noted by MI5
that "she appeared to be comfortably off and debt-free for the first time in 10 years".
, where she continued to sculpt, albeit subjects and icons of religious importance before returning to live in Belmont House in Hastings, Sussex. She died in 1970 at the age of 84, having outlived two of her three children. She is buried in the churchyard of St George's, Brede, Sussex beside her nephew Roger Frewen [d 1972] and her great-niece Selina Frewen [d 1972].
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sculptress and writer who is known primarily for creating busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
for famous sitters, and writing diaries recounting her worldly travels. She was a cousin of Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, with whom she had enjoyed an amicable relationship, but her support for the October Revolution caused them to break ranks politically in the 1920s.
Early life
Clare Consuelo Frewen was born in London, the daughter of Moreton FrewenMoreton Frewen
Moreton Frewen was an Anglo-Irish writer on monetary reform who served briefly as a Member of Parliament .-Life:...
of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and his American wife, the former Clarita "Clara" Jerome. She married Wilfred Frederick Sheridan in 1910; they had three children. Wilfred Sheridan was a Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, he was killed while leading his men at the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
in 1915. Her godmother and namesake was Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough.
After the death of her second child, Elizabeth, in 1914, Sheridan sculpted a weeping angel as an outpouring for her grief. It was from this piece of art that she discovered an ability for sculpting, and after the death of her husband a year later, she moved from France to London to study under John Tweed and Professor Edouard Lanteri
Edouard Lanteri
Edouard Lanteri was a sculptor and medallist whose romantic French style of sculpting was seen as influential among exponents of New Sculpture.-Life history:...
.
While visiting America, Sheridan had a love affair with Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. She enjoyed travelling around the world, and among her circle of friends were Princess Margaret of Sweden, Lord
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and Lady Mountbatten
Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma,, GBE, DCVO, CI, DStJ was an English heiress, socialite, relief-worker, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and last Vicereine of India.- Lineage and wealth :Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma...
, Lady Diana Cooper
Lady Diana Cooper
Lady Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich was an English socialite and actress.-Birth and youth:Born Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners, she was officially the youngest daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland and his wife, the former Violet Lindsay, but Lady Diana's real father was widely supposed...
, Vita Sackville-West
Vita Sackville-West
The Hon Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH , best known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author, poet and gardener. She won the Hawthornden Prize in 1927 and 1933...
and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
.
Her famous busts of her first cousin Churchill can be found at Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
, Chartwell, Harrow School and Hastings Town Hall; the original plaster is in the possession of her great-nephew Jonathan Frewen. In 1956 Sheridan moved to Belmont House a fine property in Hastings Old Town. She had a large collection of American Indian artifacts, some of which are on display at Hastings Museum and in the Frewen family's ancestral village of Brede in Sussex.
Soviet Russia
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where her sculpting subjects included Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky was a Communist revolutionary, famous as the first director of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka, known later by many names during the history of the Soviet Union...
and Lev Kamenev
Lev Kamenev
Lev Borisovich Kamenev , born Rozenfeld , was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a prominent Soviet politician. He was briefly head of state of the new republic in 1917, and from 1923-24 the acting Premier in the last year of Lenin's life....
. While in Russia Sheridan is reputed to have had affairs with more than one of her sitters. Her reputed relationship with Kamenev is thought to have led to his divorce from his first wife, Olga Kameneva
Olga Kameneva
Olga Davidovna Kameneva was a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician. She was the sister of Leon Trotsky and the first wife of Lev Kamenev.-Childhood and Revolutionary Career :...
; and author Robert Service, in his 2009 book, claims to an affair between Sheridan and Trotsky. Trotsky signed and dedicated a painting of himself to Clare.
Sheridan's dalliance with known Soviet agents earned her the suspicions of the Security Service, which became convinced that she was an agent and a dangerous anti-British propagandist. She attracted the attention of the Security Service after being invited to Moscow in 1920 to sculpt Lenin, Trotsky and Zinoviev. This earned her an MI5 file, in which she was labelled as a dangerous propagandist
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. The service noted: "She has conducted herself in a disloyal manner in various foreign countries, adopting a consistently anti-British attitude." In 1925 telephone taps revealed that she had, allegedly, passed details of conversations with Churchill, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, to Norman Ewer, foreign editor of the Daily Herald and a known Soviet agent. Later in 1925 Sheridan moved to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, where it was noted by MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
that "she appeared to be comfortably off and debt-free for the first time in 10 years".
Conversion and death
After the war she converted to Roman Catholicism travelling to Assisi for that purpose and she moved to The Spanish Arch GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, where she continued to sculpt, albeit subjects and icons of religious importance before returning to live in Belmont House in Hastings, Sussex. She died in 1970 at the age of 84, having outlived two of her three children. She is buried in the churchyard of St George's, Brede, Sussex beside her nephew Roger Frewen [d 1972] and her great-niece Selina Frewen [d 1972].
Written works
- Russian Portraits (1921)
- Mayfair to Moscow: Clare Sheridan's Diary (1921)
- My American Diary (New York, Boni and Liveright)(1922)
- In Many Places (1923)
- West to East (1923)
- Across Europe with Satanella (1925)
- A Turkish Kaleidoscope (1926)
- Nuda Veritas (1927); published in the U.S. as Naked Truth (New York, Harper & Brothers, 1928)
- Arab Interlude (1936)
- Without End (1939)
- To the Four Winds (1957)
External links
- Trotskyana
- Biography of Clare Sheridan The official Sheridan Clan website