Queen Mary and the Indian Watercolours

In December 1911 Vera travelled to India with her father and sister to stay with her brother Charles Waddington who was headmaster of Mayo College, a school for the sons of Maharajas. Her stay coincided with a visit from Kong George V and Queen Mary.

The Queen so admired Vera’s watercolours, particularly the way she captured light at different times of the day, that she ‘requested’ her to paint a sunset and street scene for her. Whilst initially pleased, Vera eventually tired of this commission, writing in her diary:

‘Drew all the morning at my wretched sunset for the Queen.’

However she duly produced the pictures. On 15 January she got a telegram thanking her on behalf of the Queen and later a signed photographic portrait. As a professional artist she would have preferred to have been paid!

Vera produced many sketches and watercolours whilst in India, some of which she exhibited on her return to England in May 2012.

In the 1930’s she painted a formal portrait of Charles as headmaster, which still hangs at Mayo College.