Caroline Pounds facts for kids

Caroline Pounds (born Elam) was an Irish artist. She was famous for her beautiful watercolour paintings. These paintings showed plants and birds from Australia and New Guinea. She created her art between the 1840s and 1880s.

About Caroline Pounds

Not much is known about Caroline Pounds' early life. She was born Caroline Elam in Ireland. Her family had Quaker roots. Her father was Lt. Joseph Elam.

She married Dr. James Baker Pounds. He was a doctor and a businessman. Their oldest son, Joseph, was born in 1838.

Moving to Australia

Around 1846, her family moved to Sydney, Australia. They faced tough times in Ireland because of the Irish Famine. Dr. Pounds worked as a doctor in Australia. He later became a coroner in the Sandhurst (now Bendigo) district.

Caroline and Dr. Pounds traveled to places like Japan. They went to visit their youngest son, Charles J. W. Pfoundes. Some research suggests Caroline and her husband separated in 1846. Their son Charles was raised by his father.

Most of Caroline's artwork doesn't have a date. But some pieces are from 1846. It's thought she didn't live in Australia all the time. She might have visited in 1846 and then returned to Ireland. She passed away in Ireland in 1898.

Her Art Discovered

Caroline's elder son, Joseph, married Lilias Ibbotson. Her drawings were found much later. They were discovered in the 1980s. This happened at The Heights, a family home in Geelong. The Victoria National Trust found them. Her art is still displayed there today.

Caroline Pounds' Art

Caroline Pounds created many paintings of plants and birds. She painted subjects like Dianella plants, Rosehip, and Blackberry. She also painted a bird of paradise from New Guinea.

Her paintings have an "oriental" style. This means they look like art from East Asia, like China or Japan. This might be because her youngest son worked for the Emperor of Japan. He was a government interpreter.

Her paintings are very decorative. They are done in a chinoiserie style. This style uses Chinese-inspired designs. She painted on rice paper.