Whitechapel Boys

A loose-knit group of artists, writers and poets who emanated from the Jewish Diaspora in the East End of London in the early 20th Century. Some were born in Central and Eastern Europe and escaping the pogroms came as children with their immigrant families. A few were born in England again to immigrant Jewish parents. They would meet and discuss their art and social matters of the time at the then-nascent Whitechapel Art Gallery. Their works were frequently exhibited at the Whitechapel, notably in the exhibition 'Twentieth Century Art: a Review of Modern Movements in 1914'. The 'Boys' included David Bomberg, Jacob Epstein, Mark Gertler, Jacob Kramer, Bernard Meninsky, Mark Wayner, Clare Winsten (nee Clara Birnberg) the only female amongst the Group, her husband writer Stephen Winsten (ne Samuel (Simy) Weinstein), (1893–1991), Isaac Rosenberg, Morris Goldstein and writers and poets Joseph Leftwich, (1892–1983), John Rodker, (1894-1955) and Lazarus Aaronson, (1894-1966).

The term Whitechapel Boys was not contemporaneous and did not come into being until the last quarter of the 20th century.