CHELSEA ART SCHOOL
Chelsea Art School, a teaching studio at 4-5 Rossetti Studios, Flood Street, Chelsea, was opened in the autumn of 1903, by William Newenham Montague Orpen (1878-1931) and Augustus Edwin John (1878-1961) who acted as co-principals. The co-principals had studied together at the Slade School of Fine Art and although it was meant as a joint venture, most of the teaching and running of the School was undertaken by John, with Orpen's chief contribution being a series of lectures on anatomy. Both male and female students were admitted to the School but, despite John's own bohemian lifestyle, the sexes were segregated for the Life classes. Also in attendance was Mary Gwendoline Salmond (1877-1958), who acted as a chaperon for the ladies to enforce the segregation of the sexes. In addition to life classes, the syllabus also included classes in still-life, figure composition, landscape, and decorative painting. Despite the School attracting students, the project was not a financial success and in 1907 the School closed. This should not be confused with Chelsea School of Art. Suffolk artists who studied at Chelsea Art School include Ellen May Conti