Dorothy Kay facts for kids
Dorothy Moss Kay (1886–1964) was a talented artist from South Africa, born in Ireland. She was known for her paintings and etchings, capturing many important moments and people in her art.
Early Life and Education
Dorothy Elvery was born in 1886 in a town called Greystones in County Wicklow, Ireland. Her family owned a well-known sports store in Dublin called Elverys Sports. Dorothy's sister, Beatrice Elvery, was also an artist, working with painting, stained glass, and sculpture.
Dorothy studied art at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1900 and later at the Royal Hibernian Academy school. However, she often liked to say that she was "self-taught," meaning she learned a lot on her own. In 1910, she moved to South Africa to marry Hobart Kay. By 1916, they had made their home in Port Elizabeth.
An Artist's Journey
Dorothy Kay was a founding member of the Eastern Province Society of Arts and Crafts, helping to start an important art group. In 1924, she became a member of the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists, which was a big honor. She created both paintings and etchings (a type of printmaking). In 1926, her etching called Romance was bought by Queen Mary of England at an art exhibition in London.
Dorothy traveled widely across South Africa, always sketching what she saw. She was also asked to paint many portraits of the mayors of Port Elizabeth. Sadly, many of these paintings were lost when the City Hall burned down in 1977. During World War II, the government asked her to create art showing what life was like on the home front during the war. Some of these artworks are now kept at the South African National War Museum. From 1927 to 1945, she regularly created illustrations for a magazine called The Outspan.
One of her most famous and largest paintings, created in 1937, was titled Surgery. It shows a patient having an operation to remove their gallbladder. In this painting, Dorothy painted herself as the scrub nurse (a nurse who helps during surgery), and her husband Hobart as the surgeon. To prepare for this detailed painting, she visited three hospitals and watched at least two real operations. She made 27 pages of sketches of the people and equipment used in surgery. During World War II, she painted more medical scenes, including Operation in a Base Hospital and Blood to Save Lives.
Dorothy Kay held many solo art shows from 1922 to 1955. After she passed away, special exhibitions of her work were held at the South African National Gallery in 1965 and 1982, celebrating her artistic achievements.
Personal Life
When she first lived in Port Elizabeth, Dorothy Kay loved sailing. She was even known as "the fastest spinnaker-hand in South Africa" for a while, meaning she was very skilled at handling a specific sail on a boat.
Dorothy and Hobart Kay had three daughters and one son. Her daughter Joan Wright (1911-1991) became an art teacher at the Port Elizabeth Technical College School of Art and Design. Another daughter, Marjorie Reynolds, wrote two books about her mother and the Elvery family. In 1992, Marjorie also gave her mother's collection of artworks and personal papers to the Iziko South African National Gallery. This collection is known as "The Kay Bequest."
Dorothy Kay passed away in Port Elizabeth in 1964.
