Edith Cavell
- Artist: Sir George James Frampton
- Date: 1916
- Medium: plaster
- Dimensions: 35 3/8 in. x 23 5/8 in. (900 mm x 600 mm) overall
- Portrays: Edith Cavell
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is a plaster bust of Edith Cavell, made in 1916 by Sir George James Frampton. The model shows her head and shoulders with a quiet profile. Notice the smooth face, her eyes fixed forward, and the slightly turned chin that hints at determination. Frampton used fine plaster to capture subtle details: the slight lift in her brow, the neat line of her hairline, the gentle curve of her jaw.
The bust was created as a study for the full‑length statue outside the National Portrait Gallery—a stone figure that became a gathering place for peace campaigners. Cavell’s portrait, like many early 20th‑century works, is rendered in a calm yet respectful style.
Cavell (1865–1915) ran a nurses’ training school in Belgium at war’s outbreak, helped Allied soldiers escape, and was arrested and shot on the morning of 12 October 1915. Her death sparked a surge in army recruitment and left an enduring image that the statue—and this bust—now carry.
See it in person
Edith Cavell 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.
