Barbara Tate
Barbara Tate was a British artist and writer, perhaps best known for her bestselling book West End Girls, which was published shortly after her death.
Career in Art
Born in Uxbridge as Barbara June Peddle, her father Charles Jonathan Peddle was a carpenter and lorry-driver. A violent man, he once tied a noose around her neck when she was aged 3 and balanced her on her toes until she was rescued hours later when her mother came home. Abandoned soon after by her mother Elsie Irene, née Williams, she was brought up by her maternal grandparents. In 1944 aged 17 she won a scholarship to Ealing School of Art.In 1972 Tate became a member of the Society of Women Artists. She was the organisation's President from 1985 to 2000 and later became an Honorary President. The SWA bestows the Barbara Tate Award annually in her memory. Her paintings were awarded gold and silver medals from the Paris Salon and the Grand Prix de la Cote d'Azur. She was also a member of the Society of Botanical Artists and the British Artists">British people">British Artists. In 1993 she was appointed an Honorary Professor of Thames Valley University. She married fellow artist James Tate in 1951 and had one daughter.