Joan Alice Violet Zuckerman, Baroness Zuckerman (born Lady Joan Alice Violet Isaacs; 19 July 1918 – 25 March 2000) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

hostess, writer and painter.

Life

Zuckerman was born in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

in 1918. Her mother was the Honourable

Eva Violet Mond Eva Violet Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading (; 6 August 1895 – 14 August 1973) was a British philanthropist, Zionist activist, children's welfare advocate, and writer. Among other roles, she served as Vice President of the World Jewish Congress ...

, President of the National Council of Women. Her father was the politician

Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading Gerald Rufus Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading (10 December 1889 – 19 September 1960), styled Viscount Erleigh from 1917 to 1935, was a British barrister and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal then Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. ...

. In 1939, Zuckerman married the scientist

Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman Solomon "Solly" Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (30 May 1904 – 1 April 1993) was a British public servant, zoologist and operational research pioneer. He is best remembered as a scientific advisor to the Allies on bombing strategy in the Second ...

, OM, KCB, FRS (1904–1993). They were both friends with prominent members of the Labour Party including

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

and Dora Gaitskell and

Roy Roy or Roi is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origins. France In France, this family name originated from the Normans, the descendants of Norse Vikings who migrated to Amigny, a commune in Manche, Normandy.. The deriva ...

and Jennifer Jenkins. She was said to have a happy marriage. They had two children Paul and Stella. Stella died in 1992. In 1950 she and her husband were involved with organising a meeting of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a Charitable organization, charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Scienc ...

in Birmingham. Scientist

Henry Tizard Sir Henry Thomas Tizard (23 August 1885 – 9 October 1959) was an English chemist, inventor and Rector of Imperial College, who developed the modern "octane rating" used to classify petrol, helped develop radar in World War II, and led the fir ...

and Nobel laureate

Patrick Blackett Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett (18 November 1897 – 13 July 1974) was an English physicist who received the 1948 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1925, he was the first person to prove that radioactivity could cause the nuclear tr ...

were among their house guests and formal attire was required. The artist

Alfred Cohen Alfred Cohen (1920–2001) was an American artist whose art was firmly rooted in the European tradition; he was inspired in particular by the ''commedia dell'arte''; and by the colour and handling of the Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionists an ...

's wife Diana opened a gallery which made them friends, notably Zuckerman. Diana gave Zuckerman an exhibition and the gallery were then surprised to receive a day's notice of a visit by

the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was also ...

and her entourage. In 1979 the book ''The Birmingham Heritage'' was published. She had co-written this with

Geoffrey Eley Sir Geoffrey Cecil Ryves Eley (18 July 1904 – 17 May 1990) was a British businessman and writer. He served as a director of the Bank of England, and as High Sheriff of both the County of London and the City of London. Early life and educati ...

. The book carried a foreword written by the politician, Roy Jenkins. She had an artist friend of hers to sketch Roy's portrait.

Death and legacy

Zuckerman died in

Burnham Thorpe Burnham Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is famous for being the birthplace of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar and one of Britain's greatest heroes. At the time of his bi ...

in 2000. One of her paintings in the

Sainsbury Centre The Sainsbury Centre is an art museum located on the campus of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. As part of its relaunch in 2023 under new executive director, Jago Cooper, the Sainsbury Centre became the first museum in the worl ...

collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuckerman, Joan 1918 births 2000 deaths People from Sussex British people of German-Jewish descent British people of Portuguese-Jewish descent British painters British women painters British baronesses by marriage Jewish British writers Daughters of British marquesses Wives of knights Isaacs family