Anna Zinkeisen

Scottish sisters Anna and Doris Zinkeisen were both artists who had moved to London when only 7-years-old. Anna was a painter and muralist, while Doris was a theatrical costume and set designer, painter, commercial artist and writer. At age 15, Anna won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools in London from Harrow School of Art, and first exhibited at the Royal Academy at age 18. In 1920 and 1921 Anna won the Landseer Award. She later worked for Wedgwood as a ceramics designer, with one of her designs winning a silver medal at the 1925 Paris Exhibition. Both sisters painted murals for the passenger liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, and both were official war artists during World War II. Anna is best known as a portrait painter, with her famous subjects including Prince Philip, Sir Alexander Fleming, and Lord Beaverbrook.

Anna became a highly successful and talented portrait painter, with her subjects including members of the Royal Society. She also painted still lifes, mostly flowers. She was married to Captain Guy Heseltine and had a daughter. Their home was destroyed during a bombing raid in World War II, during which time she worked as an auxiliary nurse and was involved in medical illustration.

The Ringside Sketches can still be identified by an 1948 art show sticker surviving on the verso. The three charcoal drawings have a maximum size of 56 x 39 cm. Possibly there are other similar sketches showing, for instance, Jack Dempsey. The chalk drawing The Black Boxer can be found in the art catalog. The two paintings Gentleman on Horseback and Tilting Yard were exhibited out of competition and were loans from E. Keighley, a director of the Keith & Henderson cloth factory, and British Railways, respectively.