Rose L. Henriques Sold at Auction Prices

§ Lady Rose Henriques (1889-1972)

§ Lady Rose Henriques (1889-1972) The Clothes Sale, East London signed and dated 'HENRIQUES 60' (lower left) oil on board 50 x 60cm The daughter of James Henry Loewe, a banker’s agent from Brighton, and Emma (?née Immerwahr) a transplant from Beuthen in Upper Silesia, Rose Louise Henriques (née Loewe) was born in Stoke Newington, London, in 1889. Born to a prominent Jewish orthodox family, Rose was both encouraged to explore her passions and talents and was afforded the practical and financial resources to do so. After showing early promise as a musician, Rose, then aged 16, was sent to live with her aunts in Breslau (now Wroc?aw) where she trained as a pianist and became fluent in German. However, her musical education was interrupted when, in 1914, just prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Rose was forced to return to London. It was shortly after her return to the United Kingdom that Rose met her future husband, Basil Henriques. Basil, himself a philanthropist concerned with social work, quickly convinced Rose to abandon any professional artistic aspirations and, instead, dedicate herself to a life of altruistic pursuits. In March 1914, Basil had established the Oxford and St George Jewish Boys' Club at 125 Cannon Street Road, Stepney, the aim of which was to offer education, recreation and holidays to the deprived Jewish children of London’s East End. In 1915, a year prior to the pair’s marriage, Rose founded a corresponding group for Jewish girls and was instrumental in the management and day to day running of both clubs, whilst Basil was fulfilling his military duties. Once reunited and married, the pair established the St George's Jewish Settlement which offered broad and far-reaching welfare services including mother and baby welfare, help for the aged, the promotion of education and participation in Jewish religious life and in the arts. Initially based in Betts Street, in 1929 the premises of the settlement moved to Berner Street, which was subsequently renamed Henriques Street in recognition of Rose and Basil. In addition to her local social work, following the Second World War, Rose travelled to Germany where she worked alongside several Jewish welfare groups at the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and later, upon her return to London, was appointed as the chair of the British Ose Society for promoting mental and physical health and foundered Workrooms for the Elderly in east London. In 1964, Rose was awarded the Henrietta Szold Award for services to the Jewish community and in 1971 was awarded the CBE for her social work in the East End. Although Rose committed much of her life to philanthropy, she continued her artistic practice and could often be found snatching lively vignettes of everyday life in the nearby Jewish communities of Aldgate, Spitalfields and Whitechapel. Although best known for her striking depictions of wartime London, witnessed first-hand during her roles as a VAD nurse in the First World War and as an air-raid warden in the Second World War, the present lot offers an important and fascinating insight into Jewish life in London during the latter half of the 20th century and is demonstrative of her bold use of colour and assertive handling of paint.