Photos: Jonathan Russell.

• Title(s): Italian Women in Church (title on frame; Manchester Art Gallery).
• Description: “Two Italian women in peasant dress with headscarves, standing together against an interior background. Both stand looking to the left, one woman carrying a baby in her arms. The painting is realistic, both women have a vacant expression on thier faces, and are looking off in the direction they are facing, to the left” (Manchester Art Gallery).
• Media: Oil on canvas (Manchester Art Gallery).
• Dimensions: “framed: 9 cm (depth); 98 cm (height); 82.5 cm (width) / unframed: 76 cm (height); 61 cm (width)” (Manchester Art Gallery).
• Signature/date/other text: “artist’s inscription : : brc : artist’s name : S. Isabel Dacre” (Manchester Art Gallery).
• History:
  • 1927 – “Manchester Academy of Fine Arts. 68th Annual Exhibition … a portrait study by Miss Isabel S. Dacre of “Italian Women in Church” …” (The Times, 8 Feb 1927).
  • 1927 – “Gift from Francis Dodd [to Manchester Art Gallery]” (artuk.org); “PRESENTED BY A GROUP OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE CORPORATION OF MANCHESTER 1927” (plaque on frame); “presented to the gallery by a group of subscribers in the spring of this year” (Manchester Guardian, 30 Dec 1927, p. 11).
• Location: Manchester Art Gallery.

The picture has been accepted with gratitude by the City Art Gallery Committees … The address presented to Miss Dacre reads:-Dear Miss Dacre, – Certain of your friends, conscious that to you they owe very much that they prize – that your art, and your wit, and your lovely kindness have enriched their lives, – desired to demonstrate to you their gratitude and affection, and it seemed to them that by giving to the City of Manchester a picture painted by you they would perform an act of homage to yourself and endow with a thing of beauty the city where so many of the mist fruitful years of your life was spent, and where your power of initiative and enthusiasm for art exerted a lasting influence. No sooner was their purpose known that the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts and the Attic Club, as well as others beyond the circle of your acquaintance but sensible of the value of your achievement, were eager to associate themselves with it. In this way your picture “Italian Women in Church” has been acquired and given to the Manchester City Art Gallery, where it is to remain a testimony to your genius and our admiration and affection. – We are yours sincerely,” [signed by over 80 persons] (Manchester Guardian, 18 Jun 1927).

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Page last updated 10 Feb 2026.