Eveline Winifred Syme facts for kids

Eveline Syme (born October 26, 1888 – died June 6, 1961) was a talented Australian artist. She was known for her connection to the Grosvenor School of Modern Art. Eveline also strongly supported women getting a good education after high school.

Eveline Syme's Early Life

Eveline Winifred Syme was born in Thames Ditton, England. Her parents were Joseph Cowen Syme and Laura Blair Syme. She grew up in Melbourne, Australia. There, she was one of the first students at Melbourne Girls Grammar school.

Her family had a strong connection to newspapers. Her father was a newspaper publisher in Melbourne. Her grandfather, Ebenezer Syme, owned a famous newspaper called The Age. Eveline's friend, Ethel Spowers, also had a father who published newspapers.

Eveline went back to England to study old languages and history. She attended Newnham College in Cambridge. However, women were not allowed to receive official degrees from Cambridge University back then. So, she returned to Melbourne to finish her education degree.

Eveline's Artistic Journey

Eveline Syme loved art and studied it in different places. In 1922 and 1923, she studied art in Paris with M. Denis. She also studied art in Melbourne. Often, her friend Ethel Spowers studied with her.

Eveline had her first art show in Melbourne in 1925. She had another show in 1928. She displayed many types of art. These included watercolor paintings of landscapes. She also painted with oils and drew with pencils.

Learning Linocuts

In 1929, Eveline and Ethel Spowers went to the Grosvenor School of Modern Art. They wanted to learn about linocuts. Linocuts are a type of printmaking. You carve a design into a piece of linoleum. Then, you ink it and press it onto paper.

Another artist, Dorrit Black, joined them there. They all learned linocut printing from a teacher named Claude Flight.

Sharing Modern Art

By the next year, Eveline was back in Melbourne. She showed her art and talked about modern printmaking. She and Ethel Spowers worked with artist George Bell. They were part of his "Contemporary Art Group."

Later in her life, Eveline was on a special committee. This was for the National Gallery Society of Victoria.

Supporting Women's Education

Eveline Syme also worked hard to help women get better education. In the 1930s, she helped create a women's college. This college was at the University of Melbourne. In the 1940s, she became the president of the University Women's College council.

Eveline Syme passed away in 1961 when she was 72 years old. She was buried at Brighton Cemetery. Eveline was a very important person in starting the University Women's College. She left a lot of her money to the college after she died.