The first British official war artists’ scheme was set up by the government in 1916. Although it was initially started for propaganda purposes, it evolved into a memorialising scheme that commissioned a range of significant artists who explored every aspect of the conflict.

Although several female artists were approached either by the British War Memorials Committee or the Ministry of Information, none of them completed commissions for the official schemes.

However, the Imperial War Museum did commission ten female artists through its Women’s Work Sub-Committee, which had been set up to record the varied contributions of women to the war effort. Works by two other female artists were purchased for the museum’s collection by Sir Muirhead Bone, the first official artist of the war and a significant supporter of the careers of younger artists.

The drawings and paintings shown below are the work of six women who worked as war artists during the First World War. They provide an interesting perspective on women’s roles during the war, and on the relationships between men and women in a variety of wartime situations.