Doris Hope Weston was born in Birmingham, England in 1892. Although little information is available on Weston’s life, she appears to have been primarily living in London. She began her formal artistic education at the Byam Shaw & Vicat Cole School of Art in 1911. Throughout her career, she seems to have been more widely known for illustrating books, including Princess Joy of Everywhere and The Fairies of Life with Fairy Interludes by Lily Hall (published in 1922), and the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward FitzGerald (published in 1923).
Weston travelled to Australia between October 1923 and July 1924. During her visit, she was interviewed by William Moore from The Daily Telegraph. In his column ‘Gallery and Studio’ on 31 May 1924, she is quoted as saying: ‘Australians remind me of children who have escaped from their mother and are having a fine old time. How you do enjoy yourselves here! Sunday at Coogee is like a holiday at Home – the band plays the latest dance music, a moving mass of people fills the parade, and the whole scene just throbs with life.’ This lively description captures her impressions of a vibrant Australian culture.
While no formal records exist of Weston’s study with the artist Claude Flight (1881–1955), the title of her c. 1928 painting Claude Flight’s painting lesson and its composition suggest a significant connection. Flight was a pivotal figure in modern printmaking in Britain, recognised for his role at the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London. Founded in 1925 by fellow artist Iain Macnab, the school sought to break away from traditional art education.
Flight significantly shaped the identity of the Grosvenor School, particularly through his teaching of linocutting, a medium central to the school’s artistic expression. His work and teaching aligned with the ideals of the Futurist movement, which emerged in Italy in the early twentieth century, and emphasised dynamic movement and the energy of modern life. These ideals were reflected in the works produced by Flight’s students, which captured the essence of life in London in the 1920s and 1930s.
Generously supported by the June Sherwood Bequest, Claude Flight’s painting lesson embodies the liveliness of Futurism through bold, simple forms and vibrant colours. The warm glow of the surrounding mountains enhances the grandeur of a group of figures at the heart of the painting. Their intertwined bodies, rendered with kinetic brushwork, convey a sense of perpetual motion and visual harmony that invites viewers into the scene.
The sales history of the painting remains intriguing. When sold by Christie’s in 1994, the work’s title included a bracketed section that has since been removed: Claude Flight’s painting lesson (which include artists Daphne Mayo and Dorrit Black). Notably, it is unlikely that sculptor Daphne Mayo was one of the subjects, as she had no connection to the Grosvenor School. Eileen Mayo, an Australian artist who studied at the Grosvenor School at this time, is a more likely candidate, and this former title continues to be researched.
In 1929 Weston’s work was reviewed by The Times in London, the review noting that one of her oil paintings was on display at Chester Gallery, and describing her work as possessing ‘violent colours’ and expressions ‘nearing caricature’. One wonders if this review was referring to Claude Flight’s painting lesson. This period marked Weston’s venture into literature, with her novel The Restless Team published in 1927. While she continued to exhibit, notably at the London Portrait Society in 1935 and 1936, following these exhibitions her work fell into relative obscurity.
Doris Hope Weston passed away on 12 July 1968 in Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire. Despite her talent and contributions, much remains undiscovered about her connections to Australian artists and the broader art historical narrative. The recent acquisition of Claude Flight’s painting lesson by the NGV is a significant step in celebrating Weston’s work and ensuring that her legacy is no longer overlooked.
Beckett Rozentals is NGV Senior Curator, Australian Art.
This article first appeared in the January–February 2026 edition of NGV Magazine.