William Nicholson

Sir William Nicholson was a noted artist and an outstanding portrait, still-life and landscape artist. He was also a noted woodcutter and in the 1920s wrote several children’s books. He also served as the illustrator for several books by Robert Graves, who was married to Nicholson’s daughter in his first marriage. Nicholson had his first exhibition at the National Gallery in 1942, and the Tate has several of his works.

Nicholson’s gold medal-winning work at the 1928 Games was entitled Un Almanach de douze Sports (An Almanac of Twelve Sports) which was a collection of woodcuts. It was published as early as 1897 with accompanying verses written by Rudyard Kipling. A luxury edition on parchment measuring 44.1 x 36.1 cm contained 12 hand-coloured, signed and dated woodcuts, each 20 by 20 cm. The individual sheets are titled: Archery, Boating, Boxing, Coaching, Coursing, Fishing, Cricket, Golf, Shooting, Racing, Hunting and Skating. Nicholson also entered the paintings competition, but without success. Sports on S.S. “Cedric” was also created well before the 1948 London Games, in 1921 as an oil painting measuring 57.8 x 41.3 cm. The SS Cedric was a passenger liner of the British White Star Line that operated between 1903 and 1931 on the Liverpool - New York route. In 1988 the painting sold at Christie’s for a record £82,500.

Born in Newark-on-Trent his father was the Conservative MP for the town. Nicholson (junior) was knighted in the 1936 Birthday Honours’ List. He spent his later life living in Blewbury, Berkshire which was also the home to some famous writers including thriller writer Dick Francis and Kenneth Grahame, of Wind in the Willows fame.