Jane Simpkiss is the Fine Art Curator at Leamington Spa Art Gallery and was the co-curator of the exhibition ‘Outgrowing: Flowers and female artists, 1700 to Now’ held at the gallery during spring 2022. Jane began her talk with three images by female artists in the Leamington Collection. An image of Peonies painted by local artist Elizabeth Whitehead (1854-1934) in 1928 , one by her student Florence Engelbach of Tulips and Iris and the third of Roses by Emily Ledbrook. None of whom had national recognician.
The exhibition wanted to explore the connection between women artists and the interest in painting flowers. In the late 17th and 18th century the study of botany was taken up by women who could grow, study and depict plants in the comfort of their own homes and it continued to be popular into the Victorian period. Botanical study played an important part in the work of many professional female artists such as Mary Moser (1744-1819) and Margaret Meen ( 1751-1934)
Jane spoke of the life and work of Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717), Marian North (1830-1890) and Margaret Mee (1909-1988) artists who travelled great distances to capture and record flora and insects.
The exhibition also included embroidery, porcelain and fashion plates incorporating flowers. Jane included images of the cut paper work by Mary Delaney (1700-1785) which was not included in the exhibition.
In the 20th century works by Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) were shown. During the late 19th and early 20th century many women artists began to be able to work professionally eg. Lillian Snelling (1877-19720) who was employed by the RHS to illustrate plants for Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.
A very interesting talk.