Artist

33

Single

35 St George's Mansions, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London.

WSPU

Evades

Hilda Mary Dallas was born in Japan in 1878 to British parents and had two surviving siblings – a sister Irene and brother William. Her father Charles taught English in Japan and was renowned as an excellent linguist. Exactly when Hilda returned to England is not entirely clear but by 1901/2 she was enrolled in classes at the Slade School of Art in London. There is nothing to suggest she ever rented a studio and so, like many women artists, likely worked from home. Her commercial portfolio is scant, but she did hold numerous exhibitions with the Allied Artists Association and later with the Society of Women Artists. However, it was in 1909 when her sister Irene was imprisoned for trying to speak with the prime minister, that the two sisters became involved with the WSPU. Hilda who was described as ‘a handsome fair-haired girl’ became the WSPU organizer for South St Pancras and also lent her artistic skills to the WSPU. She designed two striking WSPU posters between 1910 and 1912 and in 1911 produced a WSPU Christmas card (see image). That same year, when the government census survey was taken, the Hilda and her sister were absent from their flat at 35 St George’s Mansions and so, as they are not recorded anywhere else, they were likely participating in the WSPU boycott of the 1911 census by evading. The area where the mansions were has been substantially redeveloped. The following year when there was a split within the WSPU which saw the Pankhursts launch a new newspaper called The Suffragette, Hilda produced a poster for it. The design depicted a Joan of Arc warrior-like figure holding a pennant with WSPU written across it (see images) and was used on other WSPU items such as badges and postcards. During the First World War, Hilda likely became a pacifist and a Christian Scientist. She also turned her hand to stage set and costume design one of which is held at the Victoria and Albert Museum (see images). Hilda and her sister Irene lived together in London for the remainder of their lives until Hilda’s death in 1958. Source: Elizabeth Crawford, Art and Suffrage: A Biographical Dictionary of Suffrage Artists (Francis Boutle, 2018).