Dame Jacqueline Wilson
- Artist: Guy Jocelyn Reid
- Date: 2019
- Medium: wood
- Dimensions: 20 1/8 in. x 3/4 in. (510 mm x 20 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Jacqueline Wilson (née Aitken)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In this small woodcut by Guy Jocelyn Reid you’ll see Dame Jacqueline Wilson’s profile cut from a single block of wood, giving the image a crisp, almost carved texture. Her face is rendered in a few clean lines; the wood grain shows through at the edges, hinting at the medium’s tactile quality.
She wears simple jewellery—bangles, a pendant and rings—lined neatly against her neck and wrist, each piece outlined with careful detail. The subtle shading gives depth without resorting to paint, allowing light to play across the carved surfaces.
Reid created this in 2019; the portrait was given to us in 2021 and now sits in the Primary Collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Wilson is a best‑selling children’s writer, remembered for her work that encourages young readers to explore lives different from their own—a quote he captured: “if there’s anything I want to achieve, it’s to have children reading about others slightly different to them…”. The portrait invites you to pause and consider the quiet confidence in her gaze.
See it in person
Dame Jacqueline Wilson is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
