Eva Leigh (artist)
Eva Leigh (born Eva Mary Walker, 18 October 1895 – 9 August 1981) was an English portrait and silhouette artist based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. She was born in Bradford into a working‑class family and trained at Bradford School of Art before World War I. Leigh lived and worked for many years in Harrogate, where her studio “Silhouette” was above the Grosvenor Galleries at 1 Grosvenor Buildings. There she created portraits, silhouettes, and studies in ink, pastel and pencil. Her silhouettes were ink drawings rather than traditional cut-paper profiles.
Leigh’s finances were often precarious, and she reused cheap paper. She never married and is sometimes referred to as Eva Leigh Walker, using the family name Leigh from her grandmother.
Her interests extended beyond painting. Leigh followed Theosophy and was drawn to Hinduism and Buddhism. She studied with Hari Prasad Shastri and was invited to address meetings at the Harrogate Theosophy Lodge. She also explored astrology and the paranormal.
Among her portrait subjects were notable figures such as Princess Victoria (sister of King George V), Caroline Ingilby of Ripley Castle, and Sir John Barbirolli. She is also linked to works of actor Jimmy Forbes, and a reproduction of a portrait of Kathleen Rutherford exists. Her main audience consisted of visitors to Harrogate’s spa town as well as local residents; she also painted trees, landscapes and flowers.
After years of obscurity, Leigh’s work was rediscovered in 2023 by staff at the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate. An exhibition of her portraits ran from May to September 2024 at the Mercer Art Gallery, using pieces from the gallery’s collection and from Herbert Bannister Whone’s collection. The rediscovery inspired Fiona Young to write Finding Eva Leigh and to give a talk at Harrogate Library. The Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery funded the exhibition, helping bring Leigh’s work back into public view.
Eva Leigh died in Harrogate in 1981 and was cremated at Stonefall Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:01 (CET).