Elsie Knocker; Mairi Chisholm
- Artist: S.A. Chandler
- Date: circa 1914
- Medium: bromide print
- Dimensions: 9 1/8in. x 11 5/8in. (233 mm x 296 mm)
- Portrays: Mairi Chisholm, Elsie Knocker (Elizabeth (née Shapter, later Knocker), Baroness de T'Serclaes)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In front of you is a double portrait by S.A. Chandler, made as a bromide print in about 1914. The image shows Elsie Knocker—Baroness de T'Serclaes—and Mairi Chisholm side by side, each turned slightly toward the viewer. Both wear simple early‑twentieth‑century blouses and sensible shoes; their faces are calm but attentive. Chandler’s technique captures the fine texture of fabric and skin in a warm sepia tone. In 1914 the two women had joined the Women’s Emergency Corps as motorcycle dispatch couriers, later setting up an ambulance station on the front line in Pervyse to treat wounded soldiers. This print keeps their likenesses alive for us today.
See it in person
Elsie Knocker; Mairi Chisholm 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.
