Born in Dublin, Ireland, Sir William Orpen (1878-1931) trained at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art before moving to London to study at the Slade School of Fine Art. He remained in London and worked primarily as a portrait and subject painter. Between 1902 and 1914 he travelled to Ireland to teach part-time at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. During this period he revolutionised teaching methods in Ireland and as an artist and educator influenced an entire generation of Irish artists. In 1906, while married to Grace Knewstub, he began a relationship with Mrs Evelyn St George. In 1912 their child Vivien Graves was born. The Graves Collection of William Orpen Letters consists of 366 illustrated letters, drawings and sketches from Sir William Orpen to Evelyn St George, executed between 1906 and 1929. The collection was presented in three volumes to the National Gallery of Ireland in 1974 by Vivien Graves. A number of the items in the collection were cropped prior to their accession by the Gallery.