Catherine Gardiner
Born(1900-04-27)27 April 1900
Chelsea, London, England
Died11 July 1982(1982-07-11) (aged 81)
Kingston upon Thames, England
Other namesKatherine 'Kitty' Jagger
Occupation(s)Stage actress, artists' model, amateur golfer, amateur artist
SpouseDavid Jagger
ChildrenBrian

Catherine Gardiner (27 April 1900 - 11 August 1982) was a British theatre actress, artists' model, amateur golfer and amateur artist. She was married to the portrait painter David Jagger RP, ROI (1891-1958).

Life and career

Gardiner was born in Chelsea, London. The Gardiner family were involved in applied arts: her father, Samuel Gardiner was an 'ornate tile mason', following in his father's footsteps who was a ‘monumental tile fixer’.

As a teenager she became a stage actress and was employed in various productions in the West End of London. She used the stage name Joan Gordon and was usually employed to undertake minor character roles.[1] At the same time she was an artists' model, who sat for a wide number of professional artists including, Augustus John, Ambrose McEvoy, Alfred Munnings and Walter Westley Russell (later Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools).

She modelled for a number of artists associated with the Chelsea Arts Club. In the spring of 1919, Gardiner, then aged nineteen, sat for David Jagger. He became captivated by her and they began a romantic relationship. She became his muse and he always referred to her as 'Kitty'.

Married life

After her marriage in 1921 to David Jagger she changed the spelling of her first name to Katherine. Her only child, Brian, was born in November 1921, prior to which, she abandoned her career as a stage actress. ‘Kitty’ Jagger appeared in many of her husband's most accomplished works of the period, usually listed under a pseudonym. Portraits of her by her husband were exhibited with the principal exhibiting societies across London, most notably the Royal Academy where three large portraits of her were shown between 1923 and 1929 to great acclaim,[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] those works being The Jade Necklace (1923), Eve (1925) and Mrs. David Jagger (1929). Eight further canvases were exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool between 1921 and 1928, two of which were acquired by municipal art galleries: Kathleen (1922) by the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum,[9] and Needlework (1921) by the Walker Art Gallery where the work is currently listed as Sewing.[10] Other portraits of her exhibited in London received widespread praise [11][12][13]

Her photogenic beauty led to many images of her appearing in London society magazines, most notably the Tatler[14][15][16] 'Kitty' epitomised the roaring twenties in London and she was often compared to the American actress, Tallulah Bankhead.[14] Throughout the decade she was captured by many leading of London's leading photographers. ‘Kitty’ was a keen amateur golfer who played on major courses in England, Scotland, France and Ireland. She was also a talented amateur artist and a connoisseur of antique furniture.[15] In 1935 she was one of the organisers of a major touring exhibition, ‘Charles Sargeant Jagger - A Memorial Exhibition’ (1935–37).[17] Two portraits of her appeared in her husband's only London solo exhibition at the J. Leger & Son in 1935.[18] In 1940, during the London Blitz she was lucky to survive when an adjoining property to her Chelsea home was destroyed by a bomb.

Later life

Following her husband's death in January 1958 she resided for many years in West Sussex. She died in Kingston upon Thames on 11 August 1982, aged eighty-two.

Principal portraits

Works listed were painted by David Jagger unless indicated otherwise.

  • Lady in A Green Jacket (1919), private collection
  • New Year's Morning in a Chelsea Studio (1919) by Sir Alfred Munnings, private collection
  • On The Hilltop (1920), private collection
  • Sketch for 'Needlework (1920/21), private collection
  • Needlework (1921), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (National Museums Liverpool)
  • Eileen (1921), untraced
  • Pierette (1921), private collection
  • The Yellow Jumper (1921), private collection
  • The White Cap (1922), private collection
  • Kathleen (1922), Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead, The Wirral
  • The Yellow Breakfast Cup (1922), private collection
  • Joan (1923), untraced
  • Le Chapeau Noir (1923), private collection
  • Study for 'The Jade Necklace (1922/23), private collection
  • The Jade Necklace (1923), private collection
  • Mrs. David Jagger (1925) by Sir Walter Westley Russell, private collection
  • Eve (1925), private collection
  • The Young Golfer (1927), private collection
  • Mrs. David Jagger (c. 1929), private collection
  • Mrs. David Jagger (1930), private collection
  • Mrs. David Jagger (1934), private collection
  • Mrs. David Jagger (1935), private collection

References

  1. ↑ Gardiner played Mrs. Helman in "The New Ghetto" by Hungarian playwright Theodor Herzl at the London Pavilion theatre, reviewed in The Era, 25 June 1919.
  2. ↑ 21 April 1923 Yorkshire Post - (exh review) p.15
  3. ↑ 24 April 1923 - Sheffield Independent ‘Effective Exhibits by Sheffield Artists’p.7
  4. ↑ 28 April 1926 Sheffield Independent - ‘Mrs. Jagger’s Triumph’ p.4
  5. ↑ 22 May 1926 Illustrated London News - RA. Pictorial Review ‘Eve’ illustrated p.880
  6. ↑ 2 June 1926 The Bystander - ‘In the Academy’ (‘Eve’ illustrated) p.20
  7. ↑ 16 June 1926 The Tatler ‘The Original and the Picture’ (‘Eve’ illustrated) p.9
  8. ↑ 4 May 1929 Aberdeen Journal p.7
  9. ↑ "Kathleen | Art UK". artuk.org.
  10. ↑ "Sewing | Art UK". artuk.org.
  11. ↑ March 1921 The Studio March 1921 (Vol. 82 p.292-295) (‘On the Hilltop’ illustrated)
  12. ↑ January 1922 The Studio January 1922 (Vol.83 p.41) Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition review (‘Eileen’ illustrated)
  13. ↑ The Studio May 1924 (‘The White Cap’ illustrated)
  14. 1 2 The Tatler May 1930 ‘Mrs. David Jagger - The Artist’s Wife’
  15. 1 2 The Tatler 23 October 1935 ‘Mr & Mrs. David Jagger at Home in Chelsea’ p.5
  16. ↑ The Tatler 18 March 1936 ‘Mr & Mrs David Jagger in Cannes’, p.9.
  17. ↑ Charles Sargeant Jagger - A Memorial Exhibition’ Exhibition Catalogue 1935
  18. ↑ ‘Jagger’ J. Leger & Son, Old Bond Street, London W1 (1935) Exhibition Catalogue, Tate Gallery Archive, London
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