Gwen Raverat, wood engraver

by Joanna Selborne

"From the late nineteenth century, wood engraving ceased to be a reproductive process and became a medium for creative expression. In this revival one of the most prolific and significant engravers was Gwen Raverat (1885-1957), the only women to become a founder-member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Gwen was the granddaughter of Charles Darwin and is still today widely admired for her delightful autobiography Period Piece with its amusing drawings. She grew up in Cambridge, whose river, fens, and trees were the source of her enduring love for landscape and provided themes of universal and lasting appeal. Gwen had been trained as a painter, and therefore visualised subjects in tone rather than line. She had an impressionistic approach to form, expressing it in terms of light - her skill at conveying atmosphere and different qualities of light was unrivalled. Gwen also had a strong sense of character as is shown by her numerous illustrations to children's books." "This book was first