The Davies Sisters IELTS Reading Passage with Answers
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📥 Get Full IELTS Bundle✔ Instant download | ✔ Beginner to Advanced | ✔ Exam-focused practice You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The Davies Sisters
Between 1908 and 1924, Gwendoline and Margaret Davies amassed one of
the largest collections of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century French
paintings in Britain
Gwendoline (1882–1951) and Margaret (1884–1963) Davies were the granddaughters
of David Davies, a Welshman who amassed a fortune in the shipping and mining
industries. In 1907, when Gwendoline came into her inheritance (Margaret would follow
in 1909), the sisters were said to be the wealthiest unmarried women in Britain. Their
religious upbringing in rural Wales gave them a deep sense of social responsibility and
they chose to use their inheritance for cultural and philanthropic* purposes.
While there was no real family history of art collecting, the sisters’ education was
rigorously geared toward such pursuits. Their London school focused on cultural rather
than academic study, and they travelled extensively with their governess, Jane Blaker,
visiting art galleries and making extensive notes on the collections there.
The sisters began to make regular art purchases from 1908, which roughly coincided
with the dates of their inheritance. They took advice from various people, including
the art dealer Hugh Blaker (the brother of Jane Blaker) and David Croal Thompson,
who was also an art dealer. While it was long assumed that these men were largely
responsible for the nature of the sisters’ collection, it has recently been accepted that
Gwendoline and Margaret retained a far more active role in the process.
The sisters’ journals reveal their preference for Old Master** paintings. Yet they initially
made very few attempts to secure any such works. While the sisters were wealthy in
relative terms, their income was nothing compared to the fortunes of American art
collectors of this period, such as J. Pierpont Morgan. Quite simply, high quality Old
Master works were, if not beyond their means, then beyond what they were willing to
pay for them. Instead, their early purchases were of the fashionable, safe variety, and
included, for example, paintings by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.
However, it was only a few years before their collecting took a new direction and they
turned to the work of the French Impressionists***. We know that Hugh Blaker, as a
champion of contemporary French art had a hand in the decision, and we know also that
they would have seen examples on their various trips to Paris. Whatever the precise reason
for this change, their first purchases of Impressionist art, made in October 1912, were
scenes of Venice by the French artist Claude Monet. Over the next 12 years, the sisters
amassed the bulk of their Impressionist collection, including six further works by Monet,
two more by Manet, and three by Renoir, including his well-known painting La Parisienne.
The First World War (1914-1918) played a part in the development of the sisters’
collection. Their initial response to the war effort was to finance the safe passage of
artists from occupied Belgium to Wales, as a humanitarian act, but also with the hope of
establishing a vibrant artists’ community in the area. Later in the conflict, both sisters
decided to volunteer at a canteen for troops at Troyes, in northern France; Gwendoline
in 1916, followed by Margaret in 1917.
It was tedious and distressing work, which would have a permanent effect on Gwendoline’s
health. Yet on one of numerous trips to nearby Paris, she visited the Bernheim-Jeune
Gallery. Here she acquired two works by C̩zanne РProven̤al Landscape and The Fran̤ois
Zola Dam. The paintings were shipped directly to Bath, England, where they became the
first works by Cézanne to go on display in a public gallery in Britain.
Commentators have often described the sisters as unlikely pioneer collectors. Much is
made of their isolation in rural Wales, and the fact that they didn’t make friends with
artists or gallery owners. Yet they didn’t feel obliged to follow fashionable tastes and
were free to pursue their own preferences. Although they relied on a trusted circle of
advisers, they made frequent trips to London and Paris, and also regularly had paintings
sent to their home for consideration.
By the early 1920s, Gwendoline felt increasingly uncomfortable buying art works
when faced with the poverty and social upheaval created by the First World War. Her
philanthropic pursuits then became focused almost exclusively on social causes and the
development of the sisters’ home at Gregynog Hall into a conference center and venue
for the Gregynog Festival of Music and Poetry. Gwendoline made her final art purchase
in March 1926. Margaret also stopped collecting around this time, but started again in
the 1930s acquiring, on a relatively small scale, work by contemporary British artists.
The sisters collected French Impressionist paintings at a time when such art was
routinely ignored by individuals and institutions alike. The Gwendoline and Margaret
Davies collection, donated in 1951 and 1963 respectively to the National Museum
Wales, contains major examples of work by leading French Impressionists. In collecting
paintings that they loved, the sisters created a lasting and meaningful cultural legacy for
the people of Wales and beyond.
Questions 1–7
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1–7 on your answer sheet.
Gwendoline and Margaret Davies
Family and early life
• their grandfather’s wealth came from 1........................... and transportation businesses
• their upbringing gave them a sense of social responsibility
• their 2 ............................as designed to give them an interest in activities such as collecting art
• their governess took them on trips to art galleries
• they took a lengthy 3 ........................... about the things they saw in art galleries
The sisters as art collectors
• their 4 ............................ showed they liked Old Master paintings, but they were expensive to buy
• their early purchases were safe, popular paintings
• the first Impressionist paintings they bought showed places in 5.........................
Impact of First World War
• they helped bring artists from Belgium to Wales
• they worked in a 6 .............................. for soldiers in France
Opinions about the sisters as art collectors
• were not considered typical collectors – they lived in isolation in the
countryside and did not have any 7 ............................ who were artists
Questions 8–13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 8–13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
8 The Davies sisters’ childhood influenced the way they decided to use their wealth.
9 The Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot paintings in the Davies sisters’ collection were
purchased from a gallery in France.
10 Hugh Blaker opposed the Davies sisters’ decision to buy art by French Impressionists.
11 The exhibition of Cézanne paintings at the Bath gallery was very popular with the public.
12 The impact of the First World War encouraged Gwendoline to reconsider her interest in collecting art.
13 The Davies sisters bought French Impressionist art during a period when very few
People were doing so.
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Answers: Check Answers Here
1. Answer: mining
Keywords: Grandfather's wealth, shipping, fortune
Answer Location: Paragraph 1, Lines 1-3 , Gwendoline (1882–1951) and Margaret (1884–1963) Davies were the granddaughters of David Davies, a Welshman who amassed a fortune in the shipping and mining industries.
2. Answer: education
Keywords: collecting art, geared
Answer Location: Paragraph 2, Lines 1-2, the sisters’ education was rigorously geared toward such pursuits.
3. Answer: notes
Keywords: art gallery, extensive
Answer Location: Paragraph 2, lines 2-4, Jane Blaker, visiting art galleries and making extensive notes on the collections there.
4. Answer: journals
Keywords: Old Master Painting, reveal, expensive
Answer location: Paragraph 4, Lines 1-4, The sisters’ journals reveal their preference for Old Master** paintings. Yet they initially made very few attempts to secure any such works. While the sisters were wealthy in relative terms, their income was nothing compared to the fortunes of American art
collectors of this period,
5. Answer: Venice
Keywords: impressionist art, first purchased
Answer Location: Paragraph 5, Lines 5-6, their first purchases of Impressionist art, made in October 1912, were scenes of Venice by the French artist Claude Monet.
6. Answer: canteen
Keywords: worked= volunteer, trooops=soldiers
Answer Location: Paragraph 6, lines 4-6. Later in the conflict, both sisters decided to volunteer at a canteen for troops at Troyes, in northern France; Gwendoline in 1916, followed by Margaret in 1917.
7. Answer: friends
Keywords: isolation, countryside, rural Wales
Answer Location: Paragraph 8, Lines 1-3. Much is made of their isolation in rural Wales, and the fact that they didn’t make friends with artists or gallery owners.
8.The Davies sisters’ childhood influenced the way they decided to use their wealth. Answer: True
Keywords: Davies Sisters', upbringing, social responsibility
Answer Location: Paragraph 1, Lines 4-6. Their religious upbringing in rural Wales gave them a deep sense of social responsibility, and they chose to use their inheritance for cultural and philanthropic* purposes.
9.The Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot paintings in the Davies sisters’ collection were
purchased from a gallery in France.Answer: Not Given
Keywords: Jean -Baptiste-camille Corot, purchased gallery,France
Answer Location: Jean -Baptiste-camille Corot painting mentioned in the last few lines of paragraph 4. However, there is no information about where it was purchased.
10. Hugh Blaker opposed the Davies sisters’ decision to buy art by French Impressionists.
Answer: False
Keywords: Huge Blaker, opposed to buy, French Impressionists.
Answer Location: Paragraph 5, Lines 2-4, We know that Hugh Blaker, as a champion of contemporary French art, had a hand in the decision, and we know also that they would have seen examples on their various trips to Paris.
11. The exhibition of Cézanne paintings at the Bath gallery was very popular with the
public. Answer: Not given
Keywords: Cézanne paintings, Bath gallery, popular
Answer Location: Cézanne paintings mentioned in Paragraph 7, but it's not mentioned how popular it was, so the answer is Not given.
12. The impact of the First World War encouraged Gwendoline to reconsider her interest in collecting art. Answer: True
Keywords: First World War, Gwendoline, reconsider
Answer Location: Paragraphs 6 and 9, Lines. Later in the conflict, both sisters decided to volunteer at a canteen for troops at Troyes, in northern France; Gwendoline in 1916, followed by Margaret in 1917.
13. The Davies sisters bought French Impressionist art during a period when very few
people were doing so. Answer: True
Keywords: Davies sisters', routinely ignored
Answer Location: Paragraph 10, Lines 1-2, The sisters collected French Impressionist paintings at a time when such art was routinely ignored by individuals and institutions alike.
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