The Bloomsbury Group

Despite the Groups' devotion and influence on twentieth-century art, (the first abstract artists in Britain included Grant, Fry and Bell), a few critics found them to be mediocre with new artists such as Henry Moore and Paul Nash outshining them. Some thought them vulgar with their lack of sexual morals and sadly this is still what people associate them with today. However, within them, three people of great personality came to be the core of the group.

Vanessa Bell – Born Vanessa Stephen, 1879 with two brothers and one sister. Mostly educated at home in Hyde Park Gate, Vanessa gained a place at the Royal Academy Schools in 1899 studying art. Following the death of her father, whom she cared for, in 1904, the family moved to Gordon Square, Bloomsbury. In their new home her brother, Thoby, had Thursday nights to entertain literary friends while Vanessa had Friday Club for artists. From these two evenings, the Bloomsbury Group was emerged.

Duncan Grant – The son of a army major, Grant was born in 1885 in Scotland. After his early years in Burma and India, a return in 1894 meant a spell at school. Not much of an academic, he showed promise at art leading to a place in 1902 at the Westminster School of Art. A few years later, with his friend Pippa Strachey, they attended Bell's Friday Club to meet some of the Bloomsbury artists.

Roger Fry – Son of a Quaker family, born 1866 in London. Fry upset his family by following a career as artist and art critic instead of furthering his scientific studies. In 1911, Fry travelled with the Bell family to Turkey where Fry and Vanessa Bell started an affair. But two years later, Fry was spurned when Bell fell for Duncan Grant.

Other notable members of the Group included: Clive Bell, husband of Vanessa; Julian and Quentin Bell, sons of Clive and Vanessa Bell; Virginia Woolf, wife of Leonard Woolf and sister of Vanessa Bell; Lytton Strachey, Duncan Grant's cousin; David Garnett, husband of Angelica and Duncan Grant's lover and Mary Hutchinson, lover of Clive Bell.

The Dreadnaught Hoax

One notable event that brought the attention of the British public to the Bloomsbury Group, was the infamous practical joke, the Dreadnaught Hoax. The main instigator, Horace de Vere Cole employed five friends; Duncan Grant, Guy Ridley, Anthony Buxton, Adrian Stephen and his sister Virginia Stephen (later Woolf) to pull off his audacious plan.

The hoax was to get the then flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Dreadnaught, to play host to a 'delegation' of Abyssinian royalty and give them a tour of the warship. On 10 February 1910 Cole sent a telegram to the warship in Weymouth to expect the delegation. They even managed to get a VIP coach from the station master at London's Paddington station for the trip.

Speaking in broken Latin and bestowing fake honours the group were never rumbled, even by those on the ship who were acquainted with Cole and Virginia Stephen. Funnily enough, the warship did not carry an Abyssinian flag and the Zanzibar flag was used. But this was not spotted by the impersonators but still the ruse went on.

After the event, Cole sent a note and picture to the Daily Mirror stating their deception and the Royal Navy was derided over the event. Offices demanded the arrest of Cole but under British law they had not committed a crime. The Royal Navy even sent offices to 'cane' cole but he merely stated they should cane themselves for being outwitted.

Amazingly, this little jape cost Cole an estimated £4,000.