Royal Holloway and Bedford New College has commissioned celebrated portrait painter, Robin-Lee Hall, to create a new painting of Elizabeth Jesser Reid, founder of Bedford College.
Elizabeth Jesser Reid
The commission became possible thanks to the generous support of Bedford alumni during the 175th anniversary celebrations of the College in 2024.
The project seeks to address the absence of a painted likeness of Elizabeth Jesser Reid, a pioneering advocate for women’s higher education, and enhance public engagement with the University’s historic collections.
At present, the University’s collections only contain a single photographic likeness of Elizabeth taken later in her life.
Robin-Lee Hall, former President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, will work in Egg Tempera, a Renaissance technique connected to Bedford’s artistic heritage.
Robin-Lee began researching for the portrait last summer, studying archival material held at Royal Holloway and visiting Bedford Square, the College’s original home.
She studied original documents, early photographs and contextual material relating to Elizabeth Jesser Reid, Bedford College and the women who studied and taught there.
These visits allowed Robin-Lee to gain a sense, not only of how Elizabeth looked, but also of her values and the world she inhabited.
She also observed surviving architectural details such as window proportions, doorways and interior finishes that could provide a fitting backdrop for the painting.
Notes, letters and institutional records held in the archives revealed a woman deeply committed to social reform and to widening access to education.
The completed portrait is expected to be unveiled in Summer 2026 and will join the University’s public art collection.
Professor Julie Sanders, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, said: “We are incredibly excited to have commissioned a portrait of Elizabeth Jesser Reid, in partnership with the Bedford Society and our amazing alumni community.
“For someone whose vision transformed educational opportunities for all women, we and the Bedford Society Committee, felt the absence of a proper portrait was long overdue.
“To have Robin-Lee Hall agree to create this significant artwork for us is a tremendous privilege and we cannot wait to share the painting with the world to celebrate Elizabeth’s outstanding legacy.”
Robin-Lee Hall added: “It is a great honour to be selected to paint this important portrait, for both Bedford College and Royal Holloway.
“It is an exciting and unusual commission that has fired my imagination. My investigations so far have helped to flesh out the character of Elizabeth Jesser Reid.
“Over the coming months I hope to discover more about Elizabeth, and what she achieved through further research and development of the portrait. I look forward to sharing its progress with everyone.”
Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton, Chair of the Bedford Society Committee, said: “The Bedford Society, representing alumni of the college, is delighted that, to celebrated Bedford's 175th anniversary in 2024, two very generous donations enabled the commissioning of Robin-Lee Hall to paint a portrait of Elizabeth Jesser Reid.
“The portrait will serve as a tribute to the work of Elizabeth Jesser Reid, an acknowledgement of generosity of former students and a contemporary image to take its place amongst the portraits of Bedford College’s distinguished principals.”
