Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering this attractive watercolour by the artist Ethel Anne Woolmer ASWA, who has signed the painting E. Woolmer in the lower left hand corner. the painting depicts a young girl of about 8, sitting in a meadow, picking marguerites to join the bunch in her left hand. On the old label on the back it says picking daisies, but these are too large to be daisies and on the back of the actual watercolour, as shown, the artist has entitled the painting 'A Flowery Meadow in Wiltshire'. The little girl is wearing a pink pinafore with cap sleeves over her dark blue dress and her straw hat, with a blue ribbon around the crown, is on the grass by her knee. Her long fair hair is tied with a maroon ribbon. Altogether a charming scene.

Ethel Anne Woolmer ASWA 1863-1944, was born in Pimlico, London, the daughter of a surgeon. In 1881, she was studying at a school of art in London, which may have been the RA schools in Kensington, but the census does not say. In 1891, living in Westminster with her family, she was listed as an artist in oils and by 1901, living in Albert Bridge Road, she was listed as an artist and illustrator.

In 1907, she was elected an Associate Member of the Society of Women Artists and by 1911 was living at 51 Albert Bridge Road, London SW11 with her sister in an eleven roomed house with a cook and parlourmaid. By then she was teaching art, as well as pursuing her career as an artist. She is listed in the 1939 Register at 23a Marloes Road, Kensington, still painting and living alone with a housekeeper. She never married and died in 1944 in Dartford in Kent.

She exhibited from 1888-1929, and was known as a portrait and figure painter and etcher. She exhibited 70 paintings at the Society of Women Artists, 2 at the Royal Academy, 8 at the Royal Institute, 55 at the Ridley Gallery and 3 at the Abbey Gallery. Although this is quite a body of work, very little seems to have come to the market in recent years and we have only found about 4 in the past twenty years. She also wrote a book, which was first published in 1920, entitled 'The Story of Battersea as told to Children'.

The painting is double mounted with washlines on the outer mount and is framed in a 3/4" gilt frame. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 10 1/4" x 6 1/2" - 26cm x 16.5cm

Frame size: 18 3/8" x 15" - 46.65cm x 38.1cm

Medium: Watercolours

Condition: Very good with no foxing or fading. The frame is in reasonably good condition with minor wear consistent with age.