FDA-D.1683-2021
Parts
Object number
FDA-D.1683-2021
Object type
Identification
Title
Entrance to School Yard, Eton
Upper School from Long Walk
Entrance to School Yard (Main Gate)
Upper School from Long Walk
Entrance to School Yard (Main Gate)
Title Type
assigned by cataloguer
Previous title
Previous title
Previous title
Previous title
Description
Painted view of a building with an entrance to a courtyard with a statue; in front of the building is a low wall and two tall trees either side of the entrance
Comments
The focus of Davison’s watercolour is the main entrance to Eton College, with School Yard beyond. Francis Bird’s (1667–1731) 1719 sculpture of King Henry VI, the College’s founder, can be seen in the distance. The building in which this entrance is situated is known as Upper School and the first floor was originally a large schoolroom for older boys. To the right of the entrance, below the schoolroom, is the Porter’s Lodge. The area in the foreground is where royal visitors have traditionally been greeted by the school, including King George V and Queen Mary, who visited in June 1913, the year Davison arrived at Eton.
Other number
CL 171
Description
Dimensions
height (frame): 437mm
width (frame): 309mm
height (actual size): 255mm
width (actual size): 200mm
width (frame): 309mm
height (actual size): 255mm
width (actual size): 200mm
Material
watercolour
paper
paper
Production
Person
Davison, Nora, 1855 - 1950 (Artist)
History and association
Object history note
Provenance: Collection of Sir Douglas Busk (1906–1990; TFC, 1919–23); by whom presented to Eton College in 1970
Exhibited: ‘A Woman’s View: Nora Davison’s watercolours of Eton’, Verey Gallery, Eton College, 23 May to 28 September 2025 (catalogue number 14)
Exhibited: ‘A Woman’s View: Nora Davison’s watercolours of Eton’, Verey Gallery, Eton College, 23 May to 28 September 2025 (catalogue number 14)
