Arabella Rankin facts for kids

Arabella Louisa Rankin (1871 – 1943) was a talented Scottish artist. She was known for her beautiful paintings and especially for her unique colour woodcut prints.

Who Was Arabella Rankin?

Arabella Rankin was born in 1871 in a place called Muthill in Perthshire, Scotland. She grew up to become a well-known painter and an expert in making colour woodcuts. This is a special way of creating prints using carved wood blocks.

Early Life and Art

Even when she was young, Arabella showed her artistic skills. In 1893, she wrote a story called "Kaitrin's Collection" for a newspaper. She also won prizes for her art. In 1896, she won first prize for an embroidered book cover. Later, in 1902, she won another first prize for a colourful picture called Sir Espérance. In 1899, one of her watercolour paintings was shown at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.

Mastering Woodcut Prints

After her early successes, Arabella Rankin focused mostly on creating colour woodcut prints. These are artworks made by carving a design into a piece of wood, then applying ink and pressing it onto paper.

Some of her first prints, like The Striped Rocks (from 1920) and Sligneach, Iona (from 1921), show that she used techniques similar to those from Japan. Later, her landscape prints, such as Martyr's Bay, Iona and Iona (from 1924 and 1927), used a more common way of making woodcuts.

Life in Different Cities

Arabella Rankin lived in several places during her life. She spent some time in Edinburgh before moving to London. In 1913, she returned to Scotland and lived in Crieff. However, she moved back to London in 1922. She lived in Kensington, London, for the rest of her life.

Exhibitions and Collections

Arabella Rankin was an active artist. She was a member of the Colour Woodcut Society. From 1924 to 1935, she regularly showed her art with the Society of Graver Painters in Colour. Her work was also displayed at many important art places. She had about twenty-four pieces shown at the Royal Scottish Academy. She also exhibited with the Society of Women Artists and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.

Today, you can find examples of her amazing prints in major museums. Both the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London have her artworks in their collections.

Images for kids

• 

  Arabella Rankin, "Sir Espérance" (1902); the text of the illustration reads "The garden is gay in the month of May/The fire is the flower of the winter's day/God save the King we humbly pray."