Christine Drummond Angus (6 June 1877 – 13 October 1920) was a British illustrator and embroiderer. She made several pieces for the furniture designer

Ambrose Heal Sir Ambrose Heal (3 September 1872 – 15 November 1959) was an English furniture designer and businessman in the first half of the 20th century. He served as the chairman of Heal's (then called Heal & Son) from 1913 to 1953. Early life Heal ...

and her designs were often figurative and included illustrations of children. She was married to the painter

Walter Sickert Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...

from 1911 until her death in 1920.

Life and career

Angus was born on 6 June 1877, the daughter of Adrina Agnes Drummond and John Henry Angus, a Scottish leather merchant. The family moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in around 1900 and at the 1901 census, Christine was lodging in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

and working as an artist with an aunt as her chaperone. She designed parts of furniture for

including the inlay work on Joan's Chair, a

high chair A high chair is a piece of furniture used for feeding older babies and younger toddlers. The seat is raised a fair distance from the ground, so that a person of adult height may spoon-feed the child comfortably from a standing position (hence t ...

made in 1901 for Angus' niece. The chair is now recognised as an important piece in the Arts and Crafts movement. Heal also bought a piece of Angus' embroidery work which he framed into a tray. In 1907, she studied drawing at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

(part of what is now

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

) while living at home in London. She was friends with Edith Todhunter at art school who went on to marry Heal; Angus remained close with the family and produced several designs for Heal & Sons. In 1916, Angus designed a

dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other se ...

which was used in a children's service at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

and later shown at the 1916 Exhibition. In early July 1911, the painter

had been jilted at the altar by his fiancée, one of his young art students. He quickly turned his attention to Angus, whom he overwhelmed with correspondence until she became ill and was sent to

Chagford Chagford is a market town and civil parish on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, England, close to the River Teign and the A382, 4 miles (6 km) west of Moretonhampstead. The name is derived from ''chag'', meaning gorse or broom, and ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

by her family to recuperate. Sickert followed her to Devon and persuaded her to marry him. Angus married Sickert on 29 July 1911 at Paddington Registry Office. They had their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

at Neuville and afterwards lived in

Harrington Square Harrington (or Harington) may refer to: People as a surname *Harrington (surname) People as a forename *Arthur Raikes (Arthur Edward Harington Raikes, 1867–1915), British army officer *Charles Harrington Elster, American writer *Edward Joseph ...

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

. Angus was sickly and suffered from

neuritis Neuritis () is inflammation of a nerve or the general inflammation of the peripheral nervous system. Inflammation, and frequently concomitant demyelination, cause impaired transmission of neural signals and leads to aberrant nerve function. Neurit ...

and

chilblains Chilblains, also known as pernio, is a medical condition in which damage occurs to capillary beds in the skin, most often in the hands or feet, when blood perfuses into the nearby tissue resulting in redness, itching, inflammation, and possibly b ...

, and according to

Patricia Cornwell Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in ...

, Sickert found her ill health inconvenient. She died in October 1920 from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

References

1877 births 1920 deaths Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art British illustrators British women illustrators British embroiderers Walter Sickert {{Authority control