Fanny Currey facts for kids

Fanny Currey (born Frances Wilmot Currey) was an Irish artist and gardener. She was born on May 30, 1848, and passed away on March 30, 1917. Fanny was known for her beautiful watercolour paintings. She also became a very skilled gardener, especially with daffodils. She helped start the first drawing society in Ireland. Her art was shown in many places in Ireland and Britain. Later in her life, she grew daffodils at Warren Gardens in Lismore.

Early Life and Learning

Fanny Currey was born on May 30, 1848. Her birthplace was Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland. Her parents were Anna and Francis Edmund Currey. Fanny's father worked as a land agent. He was also a very good photographer.

Fanny was close friends with her cousin, Edith Blake. Edith was a writer and an artist. Fanny often visited Edith at Newtown Anner House in County Tipperary. It is thought that Fanny learned art alongside Edith and her sister. She might have also studied art in Paris.

Artistic Work

Fanny Currey was one of the first members of the Irish Amateur Drawing Society. This was Ireland's earliest sketching club. It started in Lismore in 1870. Some of her drawings and watercolours were shown in the group's first exhibition in 1871.

She was very active in the group. She helped with all their activities. For example, she helped set up the 1878 exhibition in Cork. The society later changed its name to the Water Colour Society of Ireland. Fanny served as the society's secretary for many years.

Fanny first showed her art at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1877. She continued to exhibit there regularly until 1896. Most of her artworks were studies of flowers and landscapes.

She also had a successful career showing her art in England. Her work was displayed at famous places like the Royal Academy of Arts. She also showed art at the Royal Watercolour Society and the Society of Women Artists. She became a member of the Society of Women Artists in 1886.

Her paintings were shown in many galleries. These included the Dudley Gallery and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. By the 1880s, people said she was not just an amateur. This meant her art was very professional, even though she did not need to earn money from it. Fanny traveled a lot, painting in England, Wales, and other parts of Europe. One of her paintings from 1888, A bazaar in Tangier, suggests she visited North Africa.

Gardening and Later Life

As Fanny got older, she focused more on gardening. She became a professional bulb grower, especially of daffodils. She owned the Warren nursery and gardens in Lismore. This nursery was famous for its daffodils.

In 1909, some of her daffodils won a special award. The Royal Horticultural Society in London gave her the silver gilt Banksian medal. Fanny was also elected a member of the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland in 1901.

Her friend, Edith Somerville, remembered how Fanny protected her daffodil plots. She strongly protected her daffodil gardens from a plan that might have harmed them. Around 1900, Fanny found two types of wood anemone. These were named Lismore Blue and Lismore Pink. They are still grown today. She noticed that blue wood anemones always grew near water. She also recorded the only Yellow Bartsia found in County Waterford.

Fanny Currey supported Women's suffrage, which was the movement for women to vote. She was also the organist at Lismore cathedral. She enjoyed fishing, shooting, woodworking, and sculpting. She also made mosaics. In 1877, she wrote a fairy tale called Prince Ritto or The four-leaved shamrock. This book had pictures by Helen Sophia O'Hara, who lived with Fanny from 1898. Fanny Currey passed away at her home in Lismore on March 30, 1917.

See also

In Spanish: Fanny Currey para niños