The daughter of world renowned Cookham artist, Sir Stanley Spencer, shocked art enthusiasts at the Henley Literary Festival last week when she produced an 80 year old doll featured in one of her father's paintings.

Unity Spencer, 85, discussed life growing up with the acclaimed painter at Henley Town Hall on Thursday, October 1 during her ‘Conversation with Carolyn Leader’ – a trustee of the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham.

And Unity shocked the audience when she produced the never seen before doll, Sonia Rose, featured in Spencer’s painting ‘Hilda, Unity and Dolls’, which is currently hanging in the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham.

Custodian for the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Dr Shez Courtenay-Smith said the astounding moment caused a ‘ripple of delight’ throughout the audience.

She said: “Astonishingly there was the 85 year old Unity holding the previously unseen Sonia Rose in almost exactly the same way that the child Unity had held her for the painting so many years before.

“The audience was very moved to see the now frail 85 year old unity nursing the very same doll that she nursed as a child in the painting.

And in a historic moment for Cookham, a photograph was taken of Unity with the doll in front of the famous painting at the Stanley Spencer Gallery.

Unity also entertained the audience with anecdotes from her childhood, and discussed her new book ‘Lucky to be an Artist, which depicts the trauma of being a daughter of a genius painter.

Dr Courtenay-Smith continued: “Unity conjured up many amusing and entertaining anecdotes for an enchanted audience, including Stanley Spencer’s use of Bronco toilet paper to make drawings of panoramic, peopled scenes, which could nevertheless be rolled up and tucked away in his pocket.

“She also told of the local Vicar who, after, a challenging time attempting to discuss religious concepts with a teenage Stanley, indignantly pronounced that he was never again going to discuss religion with anyone under the age of 21.”

Sir Stanley is known for his works that combine real life scenarios with biblical scenes and used Cookham as inspiration for his art.

Hilda, Unity, and Dolls is part of the current exhibition at the Stanley Spencer Gallery, ‘The Creative Genius of Stanley Spencer’ stanleyspencer.org.uk.