Dorothy Stevens was a Canadian artist known for her etchings, portraits, prints and illustrations. She was born in Toronto in 1888 and left to study in London in 1904. She also studied in Paris. Returning to Canada in 1911, Stevens began an impressive career, becoming one of her generation's best etchers in Canada.

Stevens made a number of etchings during the First World War that were published under Eric Brown's program of home-front illustrations from Canadian artists. The Canadian government hired official war artists but the positions were reserved for men. Women artists had to look for commissions during the war and were limited to subjects that seemed appropriate for women to witness. For Stevens this meant depicting women at work in munitions factories. Check out her etchings at the Canadian War Museum and read a bit more about her war time efforts here: Legion Magazine.

In addition to etchings, Stevens gained a reputation as a portrait and figure artist. Stevens captured the likeness of many women and children in Toronto, as well as during her travels to Mexico and the West Indies. She also gained a reputation as an extrovert. She was said to be loud, assertive, boisterous and a perpetual partier.

Her work is in the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and at the Arctic Experience McNaught Gallery. The painting in the gallery shows a young woman in blue, gazing out of a window. The portrait is evocative and impressionistic.

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