Clara Mountcastle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clara Mountcastle
Born	(1837-11-26)26 November 1837 Huron Tract, Canada
Died	24 May 1908(1908-05-24) (aged 70) Clinton, Ontario, Canada
Known for	Painter Writer

Clara H. Mountcastle (born November 26, 1837 – died May 24, 1908) was a talented Canadian artist and writer. She was known for her paintings and her books. For some of her early writings, she used a special pen name, Caris Sima.

Early Life and Learning

Clara Mountcastle was born in 1837 in Clinton, Ontario, Canada. She was one of many children in her family. Her father, Sidney Harmon Mountcastle, was a farmer. Her mother, Frances Laura Mountcastle, was an amateur painter.

Clara learned about art from her mother when she was young. Later, from 1855 to 1857, she went to Toronto to study art. She lived with her uncle, John George Howard, who was an architect. During this time, she also went to a private school for girls. She took art lessons from an English artist named Chatterton. He taught her how to paint from nature. By 1881, Clara had moved back to Clinton. She lived there with two of her sisters for the rest of her life.

Art Career

Clara Mountcastle was a skilled painter, especially with watercolors. In 1870, her watercolor paintings won five awards. This happened at the Provincial Exhibition in Toronto. She kept showing her art at big exhibitions through the 1880s.

People often praised her for her marine subjects. These are paintings of the sea, ships, or coastal scenes. Later, a new art style called Impressionism became popular. In 1897, her work was not accepted by the Ontario Society of Artists. She had shown her art there before. She was also not allowed to join the society. Instead, she joined the Women's Art Association of Canada.

Writing Career

Clara Mountcastle started her writing career in the 1880s. She wrote both poetry and stories. She also gave public readings of her own work. Her first two books were published under the name Caris Sima. This pen name came from her childhood nickname, 'Carissima'.

Her first book of poems was called The Mission of Love (1882). Her second book was a short novel called A Mystery (1886). Her third book, Is Marriage a Failure? (1899), was published under her real name.

People admired her for writing poems in many different styles. She wrote about country life and sad love stories. She also wrote about growing older and facing poverty. These topics showed the challenges many women faced in her time. Clara Mountcastle passed away in 1908.