Doris Zinkeisen was a painter, stage-set and costume designer, writer and horsewoman. She was born in Kilereggan, Scotland and studied at the Royal Academy Schools, exhibiting her first painting at the Royal Academy in 1918.
She was taken up by the impresario Nigel Playfair which led to a lifelong association with the theatre, working with the likes of Charles B Cochran and Laurence Olivier at the Old Vic, later creating his make up for the film Richard III and writing Designing for the Stage (1938). She painted portraits of actresses and society winning a Gold Medal at the Paris Salon and contribed murals on the RMS Queen Mary. She was employed by the Red Cross during WWII and witnessed and depicted the horrors at Belsen concentration camp. She was a fine horsewoman and is known for her paintings of horses and carriages in period settings, with clean draughtsmanship, an unique palette and a mid-century elegance. Lola Montez (1821-61) was a notorious actress, dancer, courtesan and royal mistress.
Doris Zinkeisen later lived in Badingham, Suffolk. She is buried in the village churchyard.