Florence Carter-Wood (4 September 1888 – 24 July 1914) was a British painter. She studied at the Forbes School of Painting, founded by Stanhope Forbes and his wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, with her brother Joey Carter-Wood. She went to Cornwall to continue her studies, and while there she mixed with the

Lamorna Lamorna ( kw, Nansmornow) is a village, valley and cove in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the Penwith peninsula approximately south of Penzance. Lamorna became popular with the artists of the Newlyn School, including Alfred Munnings, La ...

community. She also modeled for portraits by other members of the community, including

Harold Knight Harold Knight (27 January 1874 – 3 October 1961) was an English portrait, genre and landscape painter. Knight was born in Nottingham, England, the son of William Knight, architect, and studied at Nottingham School of Art under Wilson Foste ...

. Carter-Wood married the painter

Alfred Munnings Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund, he earned several presti ...

on 19 January 1912. She first attempted suicide while they were on their honeymoon, and Munnings later stated that the marriage had never been consummated. Carter-Wood subsequently developed a close relationship with Munnings' friend, Captain Gilbert Evans, a Welsh army officer and local land agent. Munnings, meanwhile, was close to Harold Knight's wife Laura, herself an artist. Evans, though not an artist, had become closely involved with the Lamorna community and referred to Carter-Wood in his diary by the nickname "Blote". In July 1914, after Evans had left for colonial service in Nigeria, Carter-Wood killed herself by taking

cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

Legacy

Her death was the subject of a scandal and Munnings is said never to have spoken of her again. She is buried at

Sancreed Sancreed (''Cornish: Eglossankres'') is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, approximately three miles (5 km) west of Penzance. Sancreed civil parish encompasses the settlements of Bejouans, Bosvennen, ...

churchyard, with a headstone that reads “Edith Florence - "Blote" – Wife of A. J. Munnings - Sep. 4 1888 – July 24, 1914”. Her brother Joey was killed in action in 1915 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Alfred Munnings' paintings of his wife, including "Portrait of Florence Munnings at Sunset", painted in the year of their marriage, have been exhibited at the Penlee House Gallery in Cornwall.

In popular culture

Carter-Wood is played by Emily Browning in the 2013 film '' Summer in February'', which is based on the novel of the same name by Jonathan Smith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter-Wood, Florence 1888 births 1914 deaths 20th-century English painters Artists who committed suicide Burials in Cornwall Lamorna Art colony People from Cumberland Suicides by cyanide poisoning 1914 suicides Suicides in England English women painters