Throughout his career as a painter and lithographer, Leslie Cole (1910-1976) focused on capturing people. From his early training, centred on draughtsmanship and the human figure, through to wartime images of military heroes and figures in combat, Cole placed people and their everyday activities at the centre of his imagery. His skill for capturing the human condition through likeness and atmosphere is a thread running through his life’s work.
Cole’s post-war paintings tend to depict anonymous figures in everyday settings, and many are situated in pubs and cafes. A few portraits of his wife, Brenda, stand out as exceptions. Though simply titled ‘Seated Figure’, this piece depicts Brenda in 1952, when the couple lived and worked in Chelsea.
Leslie Cole and Brenda Harvey (1914-2003) met when Brenda was working as an artist’s model. Her life to that point had been less than straight forward, and she is still regarded as a woman with a mysterious past. She was born Gwendoline Harris into a discontented and fragile family unit, which slowly disintegrated. By the time she was 15, Gwendoline was living on the streets and going by the name Barbara. In 1932, she became involved in a huge public scandal, as a key witness in the downfall of Harold Davidson, the Rector of Stiffkey (also known as the 'Prostitutes’ Padre').
After the trial she changed her name again. In the mid-1930s, Brenda Harvey associated with a crowd of bohemian creatives, with Cole amongst them. The couple married in 1938, and their relationship lasted through the war, and until Cole’s death in 1976. Whilst posted overseas, Cole wrote many letters to Brenda, covering all manner of topics, from the business of finances to his feelings about the events he experienced. Cole also wrote of his deep longing for Brenda, demonstrating how besotted he was with his wife back home.
When Cole returned to England they reunited and moved to Chelsea. They lived at Stamford Street Studios: he continuing his practice as a painter and she becoming a respectful ceramicist. This portrait depicts Brenda sitting against a green and brown backdrop, with light hitting her face from the left, highlighting the shape of her cheek, nose and lips. Her facial expression is open to interpretation, but the atmosphere seems to be one of peaceful domesticity, reflecting the calm and creative life that they led after the war.
By Katie Ackrill, Collections and Exhibitions Officer
'Leslie Cole: Recording Conflict in the Second World War' is on display until 3 January 2026.
(Image: 'Seated Figure' by Leslie Cole, 1952, Oil paint on canvas, Museum & Art Swindon, ©Estate of Leslie Cole)
