Dora Carrington
-
is known predominantly for her personal relationships with writer
and other members of the Bloomsbury Group, but she produced much striking work—visual and literary—herself.
and
gave her portraits and landscapes contemporary praise; in his foreword to
's 1978 book on his sister's art, former
Director
described
as the most neglected serious painter of her time. Carrington (the name she chose to be known by) also wrote in range of genres (letters, diaries, short stories, poetry, and drama) throughout her life.
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Biography
As an adult,
preferred to call herself by her surname alone, and used pseudonyms in letters and other writings in part because, she wrote, Dora was the name of a lady [my father] once loved in India dimly in the past. He being a virtuous man he doubtless suppressed this reason, & he told my mother he just liked the name & it was short so I couldn't spell it wrong. My Mother being a woman told me later the reason. Houghton was my mother's name, so he added de to show that they had French blood in them, & because he was a whimsical character. . . . [Because my mother's] name is poison to me I would like to forget I am of Houghton blood [and] I dislike the Victorian sentimentality of Dora.