Henrietta Mabel Lister (also known as Laretta Listakova, Henrietta Listakova and H. M. Burrill-Robinson; 1895–1959) was a British watercolourist, dancer, and race driver.
Henrietta Lister | |
|---|---|
 Lister in her Aston Martin c. 1925 | |
| Born | 1895 |
| Died | 1959 (aged 64) |
| Other names | Laretta Listakova Henrietta Listakova H. M. Burrill-Robinson |
| Occupation(s) | artist, dancer, driver |
Early life
editLister was born in 1895 and her parents were Charles Lister (a doctor) and his wife.[1][2] She attended the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London.[3]
In 1914, Lister, using the stage name Laretta Listakova, was part of a dance company that was touring Bulgaria and Serbia when World War I began.[4] Lister joined Elsie Inglis's Salonika-based Scottish Women's Hospitals unit as a driver, under the auspices of the French Red Cross.[4] For her contributions, she was awarded a British War Medal and Victory Medal, and a Serbian Medal for Zeal.[4]
Motor racing
editBetween 1924 and 1928, Lister raced a Bamford-type Aston Martin at the Brooklands racetrack in Surrey.[5][6] She is recorded as having participated in twelve meetings, competing in 22 different races or events.[6] Jack Waters (who went on to star in films and television as Jack Warner) acted as her mechanic and sometimes drove her car.[5]
Some sources report that she sometimes called herself "Henrietta Listakova",[5][3] whom newspapers reported as being a "Russian ballet dancer" who raced cars in Britain and America.[7] In 1923, Listakova performed in a charity ballet organized by a Mabel Lister in London.[8]
Later life
editIn 1935, Lister married William Robinson Burrill-Robinson of Elm House, Redmire, North Yorkshire.[1] Lister appears to have given up her adventurous hobbies and turned to watercolours, exhibiting as part of the Castle Bolton Group.[3][9]
Lister died in 1959 at the age of 64.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Forthcoming Marriages". The Times. 2 January 1935. p. 13.
- ^ a b "Obituaries: Mrs. Henrietta Mabel Burrill-Robinson". The Daily Telegraph. 22 September 1959. p. 12.
- ^ a b c Everett, Betsy (16 January 2015). "Extraordinary family story of woman who gave away millions". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria (28 February & 1 March 2018): Lot 168". Noonans Mayfair. 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Harris-Gardiner, Rachel (23 February 2023). "Speedqueens: Henrietta Lister". Speedqueens. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b Williams, Jean (24 April 2014). A Contemporary History of Women's Sport, Part One: Sporting Women, 1850-1960. Routledge. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-317-74666-9.
- ^ "Racing Amazon". The Sunday Gazette. Atlantic City. 16 November 1924. p. 14.
- ^ ""Kushaiah": Charity Ballet by Miss Mabel Lister's Pupils". Middlesex County Times. 15 December 1923. p. 11.
- ^ "Art in the Dale". Newcastle Journal and North Mail. 14 August 1940. p. 4.