Friday, October 29, 2021

Keith Henderson (1883–1982) – Scottish artist

With thanks to Ognyan Hristov for finding this artist for us

"A Wrecked Railway Bridge
Near The Hindenburg Line
Near Villers Guislain", 1917 
Born in Scotland and brought up in Aberdeenshire and in London, Keith was one of three children born to George MacDonald Henderson, a barrister at Lincoln's Inn, and his wife, Constance Helen, née Keith. He attended Orme Square School in London and Marlborough College, before going on to study art at the Slade School of Art, London and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.

During the First World War, Keith served as a Captain with the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry on the Western Front. He painted several works while there and also wrote a book about his experiences entitled “Letters to Helen: Impressions of an Artist on the Western Front” which was published in 1917. 'Helen' was his wife - Helen Knox-Shaw – they were married in 1917 at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.


"A Twelve-inch Gun", 1917

During the Second World War, Keith Henderson was one of the first two artists, along with Paul Nash, appointed as a full-time salaried artists to the Air Ministry by the War Artists' Advisory Committee, WAAC. Henderson was sent to RAF bases in Scotland.