Dorothy Una Ratcliffe (often known as D.U.R.) (1887-1967) led a rich and colourful life. Glamorous, wealthy, a socialite who loved nature and the gypsy life, she published almost fifty books, travelled all over the world, nurtured her garden, adored Yorkshire and its traditions, was a prolific collector and the inspiration behind an magnificent legacy to Leeds.

Cecile Walton (29 March 1891 – 23 April 1956), was a Scottish painter, illustrator and sculptor. As a child she was taught drawing by Jessie M. KIng and etching by the Celtic Revival artist John Duncan. She and her husband Eric Robertson were two of the moving spirits of the Edinburgh chapter of the Symbolist movement in the early 20th century. In 1911, she was commissioned by the publishers T.C. & E.C. Jack to illustrate their edition of Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales. Walton is best known for her ironic self-portrait Romance held by The National Gallery in Edinburgh, in which she depicts herself as a latter-day Olympia, critically inspecting her newborn son Edward, while both are watched by his sibling Gavril. She died in Edinburgh on 23 April 1956.