Family histories and interwar black history

As our recent blog post shows, our contact with Nyay Bhushan, the great grandson of Vasu Deva Sharma, has been a fantastic opportunity for us to find out about Sharma’s migratory history and learn more about Sharma’s experiences of life as a Royal College of Art student in interwar London. We’ve created a select list of students and artist’s models all based in London during the period we are researching. If you have any information, no matter how small, about any of these individuals or the artworks they created please feel free to contact us at equianocentre@ucl.ac.uk

Students from Africa and Asia at London-based art schools:

• Egyptian student Aimee Nimr at Slade School of Fine Art School of Fine Art during 1919
• Nigerian student Aina Onabolu at St. John’s Wood Art School during 1922
• Indian student Meher Bomansha Dalal at the Slade School of Fine Art School of Fine Art during 1923
• Egyptian student A. Hafez at Royal College of Art during 1923
• Egyptian student H.Z. Kassem at Royal College of Art during 1923
• Indian student U.S. Choudhry at Royal College of Art during 1923
• Indian student Vasu D. Sharma at Royal College of Art during 1923
• Indian student Mukul Dey at Royal College of Art during 1923
• Indian student Atul Chandra Bose at the Royal Academy during 1924-1926
• Egyptian student A. A. Yousef at Slade School of Fine Art during 1928 then Royal College of Art during 1933
• Indian student S.D. Chavda at Slade School of Fine Art in 1936-1937
• Indian student  V.S. Adurkar at Slade School of Fine Art in 1936-37
• Indian student G.B Bandivdekhar at Slade School of Fine Art during 1937-38
• Indian student J.D Gondhalekar at Slade School of Fine Art during 1937-8
• Indian student Indumati Sathé at Slade School of Fine Art during 1937-39
• Indian student M.S. Satwalekar at Slade School of Fine Art during 1938-39
• Egyptian student Bothina El Nahry, student at Hornsey Art School and then Slade School of Fine Art during 1939

Students who painted, sculpted or drew portraits of African and Asian individuals during their studies:

• Ivy Mackusick – studied at the Slade School of Fine Art during 1919
• William Ian Brinkworth – studied at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1933 until 1936.
• Leila Ethel Dean Leigh –  studied at the Slade School of Fine Art between 1932 and 1938
• Ann Margaret Tooth – studied at the Slade School of Fine Art during the 1930s
• John Innes – studied at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1936 to 1939

Artist’s models of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage

• Rebecca and Esther (no current information on second name) –  sisters who were of Black and Jewish mixed heritage who sat for artist Jacob Epstein
• Amina Peerbhoy (Sunita) and Miriam Patel (Anita) –  sisters from India who sat for artist Jacob Epstein
• Ladipo  (no current information on second name) –  West African artist’s model and boyfriend of artist Donald Friend during the 1930s
• Patrick Nelson – Jamaican man living in London during the late 1930s – friend, boyfriend for a short time, and artist’s model for Duncan Grant
• Harry Quashi – actor living in Britain during the 1930s, artist’s model