Florence Fuller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florence Fuller
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Pen portrait of Florence Fuller, 1897
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| Born | 1867 |
| Died | 17 July 1946 (aged 78–79) Gladesville, New South Wales, Australia
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| Known for | Painting |
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Notable work
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Florence Ada Fuller (born in 1867 – died on July 17, 1946) was an Australian artist. She was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. As a child, Florence moved to Melbourne, Australia, with her family.
In Melbourne, she learned art from her uncle Robert Hawker Dowling and teacher Jane Sutherland. She also took classes at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School. By the late 1880s, she became a professional artist. In 1892, she left Australia. She first traveled to South Africa, where she met and painted for Cecil Rhodes. Then, she went to Europe. She lived and studied there for ten years. Her paintings were shown at famous art shows like the Paris Salon and London's Royal Academy.
In 1904, Fuller came back to Australia and lived in Perth. She became involved with the Theosophical Society, a group interested in spiritual ideas. During this time, she painted some of her most famous works. One of these is A Golden Hour, which the National Gallery of Australia called a "masterpiece." From 1908, Fuller traveled a lot. She lived in India and England before settling in Sydney. In Sydney, she was the first teacher of life drawing at the School of Fine and Applied Arts. This school was started in 1920 by the New South Wales Society of Women Painters. Florence Fuller passed away in 1946.
During her career, Florence Fuller was highly respected for her portraits and landscapes. By 1914, her art was displayed in four public galleries. This was a record for an Australian woman painter at that time. Even though she was very successful, information about her was often left out of art books after her death. Many of her paintings are still held in major art galleries today. These include the Art Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, and the National Gallery of Victoria.
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Florence Fuller's Early Life and Art Training
Florence Fuller was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1867. Her parents were Louisa and John Hobson Fuller. She had several brothers and sisters. Her sisters, Amy and Christie, later became singers.
When Florence was a child, her family moved to Australia. She worked as a governess, teaching children in their home. At the same time, she studied art. She took classes at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in 1883 and again in 1888. During these years, she was a student of Jane Sutherland. Jane Sutherland was known as a leading female artist in Melbourne. She liked to sketch and paint outdoors, directly from nature.
Florence's uncle, Robert Hawker Dowling, was also a painter. He painted scenes from the Middle East, Aboriginal people, and portraits. He grew up in Tasmania, Australia, and became a portrait painter. Then, he moved back to England. His paintings were often shown at the Royal Academy in London. In 1885, he returned to Australia, and Florence became his student.
That same year, when Florence was eighteen, she received an important job. A kind lady named Anne Fraser Bon asked her to paint a portrait of William Barak. He was an important leader of the Wurundjeri people, an Aboriginal group in Victoria. This painting, called Barak–last chief of the Yarra Yarra Tribe of Aborigines, is now at the State Library of Victoria. It is a very important painting in Australian history. Some people say it shows Barak as he truly was, while others feel it shows an ideal image rather than a real person.
In 1886, her uncle Robert Dowling went back to England. Florence stopped working as a governess and became a full-time painter. She opened her own art studio before she turned twenty. Her uncle had planned to return to Australia. He left an unfinished portrait of Lady Loch, the Victorian governor's wife. When he died in England, Florence finished the painting for him. Lady Loch then became someone who supported Florence's art.
Florence painted other early portraits. In 1888, she painted two pictures of homeless children. They were called Weary and Desolate. Weary was inspired by a poem about child labor. The Art Gallery of New South Wales bought Weary in 2015. The gallery said the painting showed a "gritty realism" that was new in Australian art. Around 1889, she painted Gently Reproachful.
In 1889, Florence won a prize from the Victorian Artists Society. It was for the best portrait by an artist under twenty-five. By 1891, she had a studio in her home in Malvern, Melbourne.
Art Studies in Europe and South Africa
In 1892, Florence traveled to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. She went there to get better after an illness. While there, she stayed with her uncle, Sir Thomas Ekins Fuller. He was a member of the local Parliament. Through him, she met Cecil Rhodes, who was the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Rhodes asked her to paint a landscape of his home.
Two years later, Florence traveled to England and France. She stayed there for ten years. In the 1890s, many Australian artists studying abroad preferred Paris. Florence also chose Paris. Other Australian artists studying in France then included Agnes Goodsir and Margaret Preston. Florence first studied at the Académie Julian. Her teachers included famous artists like William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Later, she was even the head of the studio for one of her teachers, Raphaël Collin. Many French art schools had only recently started accepting women. Conditions for women students were often difficult. Despite this, Florence's skills grew, and art critics praised her French training.
Florence had great success during her time in Europe. In 1895, one of her pastel portraits was accepted by the Paris Salon. This was a very important art exhibition. In 1896, two more of her paintings were shown there. In 1897, her painting La Glaneuse was shown at the Salon. That same year, a work of hers was accepted by the Royal Academy in London. She also showed her art in many other places. These included the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in England and art societies in Australia. She even had a painting, Landscape, shown at an exhibition in Bendigo, Australia.
Florence did not spend all her time in Europe. In 1899, she returned to South Africa to paint Cecil Rhodes again. Some sources say she painted five portraits of him. A newspaper later reported that she also traveled and sketched in Wales, Ireland, and Italy.
While in Europe, Florence painted Inseparables. This painting shows a girl sitting and reading a book. The Art Gallery of South Australia bought this artwork. The National Gallery of Australia said the painting suggests a love of reading. However, art historian Catherine Speck saw it as "subversive." She felt it showed a young woman gaining knowledge, which was a powerful idea at the time.
In November 1902, the Australian Federal International Exhibition was held in Melbourne. It was a huge event that showed Australian and international art. Florence Fuller had six of her works included in this large art show.
Life and Art in Perth
Florence received more recognition in 1904. Her painting Summer Breezes was shown at the Royal Academy in London. Other famous Australian artists like Rupert Bunny and Arthur Streeton also had works displayed. Florence was the only woman painter from Australia to be represented that year. A critic from The West Australian newspaper wrote about her painting: "The work ... is truly Australian. A graceful Australian blonde stands in a sunny Australian field. She holds her summer hat against the wind. It's a simple subject but grand in its simplicity ... The picture is admired for its colors ... Every detail shows great care."
By the time Summer Breezes was on display, Florence had returned to Australia. She moved to Perth in Western Australia, not Melbourne. Her sister, Amy Fuller, a singer, was already living there. Even though Florence was only in her mid-thirties, her experience made her "one of the most skilled artists in Western Australia at this time." For the next four years, she painted portraits. One was of Western Australian politician James George Lee Steere. She painted it after he had passed away, using photos and memories from people who knew him. This painting was bought by the art gallery he used to lead. Florence also taught art students, including the French-Australian artist Kathleen O'Connor.
During this time in Perth, Florence painted A Golden Hour. The National Gallery of Australia calls it "a masterpiece." It shows a woman and a man standing in a rural area in the late afternoon. They are surrounded by grass and gum trees. The painting is about 109 cm high and 135 cm wide. When the painting was sold in 2012, the auction house said it had been owned by William Ride. He was a former director of the Western Australian Museum. The owners believed the people in the painting were Sir John Winthrop Hackett and his new wife, Deborah Vernon Hackett. Sir John was a well-known businessman and newspaper owner.
Deborah Vernon Hackett was also the subject of a portrait Florence painted around 1908. Anne Gray, an expert at the National Gallery of Australia, said Florence painted her with kindness. She captured the young woman's grace and charm. But she also showed Mrs. Hackett's complex personality. She did this by using a soft, pale-blue dress with a dramatic black hat and a direct gaze.
Florence painted other works for the Hackett family. A reviewer in 1937 remembered that Dr. Hackett was a great supporter of Miss Fuller. He often visited her studio. Florence painted Lady Hackett both before and after she got married. One lovely painting shows her as a young girl picking wildflowers. Florence also painted charming pictures of the first Hackett babies.
Theosophy and Later Art Career
Some historians believe that Jane Sutherland might have introduced Florence Fuller to Theosophy. This is a spiritual philosophy that teaches about the unity of everything and the search for universal wisdom. Theosophy was very important throughout Florence's life. Many Australian artists, including Florence, became Theosophists. Florence joined the society in Perth on May 29, 1905. She joined after hearing a lecture by Charles Webster Leadbeater, a well-known Theosophist. Bessie Rischbieth, a feminist, joined at the same time. Together, they helped the movement grow in Perth. Florence was the secretary, treasurer, and librarian for the local Theosophical Society branch at different times. She had an art studio in Perth, and the Society used it for their meetings.
In 1906, Florence's portrait of Annie Besant, a feminist and Theosophist, was shown at the West Australian Art Society's exhibition. Around the same time, she painted other leaders of the movement. These included Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. These portraits were different from the formal art Florence had learned. She used intuition and visualization, inspired by Indian art and Theosophy.
In 1907, Annie Besant became the worldwide president of the Theosophical Society. She started a big expansion of their headquarters in Adyar, India. When Besant announced a speaking tour in Australia in 1908, she was expected to stay with Florence in Perth. A few months later in 1908, Florence left Western Australia and traveled to India. She stayed at Adyar. Florence wrote about her time in India: "I went looking for beauty, light, and color, which artists love. But I also looked for something deeper. I spent two and a half years in a very unique community. It was the headquarters of the Theosophical Society ... I painted there, but my art was changing. I felt it could not satisfy me unless it became much greater."
Florence's time at Adyar was important. Leadbeater arrived around the same time. Soon after, he "discovered" Jiddu Krishnamurti, a teenager he believed would become a global teacher. Leadbeater and others taught Krishnamurti. Florence might have taught him photography. She also had a small studio built on the grounds and painted there. Her works from this time include a portrait of Leadbeater and Portrait of the Lord Buddha. This Buddha painting is very "modern" compared to her other works. It was more daring than paintings made by other artists years later. The painting shows how Theosophy focused on seeing the subject through a "psychic, visionary experience."
Florence faced a challenge. She wanted to combine her formal European art training with the spiritual ideas of Theosophy. Her 1910 portrait of Leadbeater shows this change. Florence used ideas from Indian artists and art historians. She wanted to find new ways to create the art she believed in. While her technique changed in Adyar, her later works did not continue this new style. Instead, she painted in a more traditional way to please art buyers.
Sources about Florence's travels after India can be unclear. She arrived in England in June 1911. There, she marched with Annie Besant in protests for women's voting rights. She continued to paint portraits. But she found it hard to make the artistic changes she had imagined in India: "I have painted many portraits since I have been in England. I suppose I have been successful, but I haven't done anything truly amazing. The hidden inner life has not yet shown itself on canvas. I can only say I hope for greater art, but I haven't achieved it yet."
Florence later traveled from London to India in 1914. One newspaper said she visited Sydney in 1916. However, another source says she traveled there with Leadbeater and stayed in the city. During that visit, she had an exhibition of her miniature paintings. These were all portraits of Theosophists, including Besant and Henry Steel Olcott. She visited Brisbane in 1917. Florence also spent time painting in Java (part of the Dutch East Indies then). She was there with Leadbeater while he gave lectures. She made at least one more big trip. She arrived in Sydney in 1919, coming from India via Perth. After these travels, Florence settled permanently in Mosman, a suburb of Sydney. She continued to paint, including miniatures.
In 1920, the Society of Women Painters in New South Wales started an art school. Florence Fuller was chosen as the first teacher for life drawing classes. At the exhibition for the school's opening, Florence showed a portrait of the founder, Mrs. Hedley Parsons. In 1926, a portrait by Florence was praised at a society show. However, a reviewer felt that the artists' styles had become too fixed. Florence continued to be involved with the Theosophical community as her health and money problems grew.
In 1927, at age sixty, she was admitted to a hospital. She passed away almost twenty years later, on July 17, 1946. She was buried at Rookwood Cemetery.
Florence Fuller Street in Canberra is named in her honor.
Florence Fuller's Art Style and Importance
Art experts Gwenda Robb and Elaine Smith described Florence Fuller's art as having a "free painterly style." They said it was influenced by Impressionism, an art movement. In the early 1900s, critics noticed her unique Australian style. When one of her works was shown in London with other colonial artists, a newspaper called her painting "most Australian in feeling." A Perth critic reviewed her work at the Royal Academy in 1904. He said: "Of the 16 or 17 Australian artists showing at the Academy, Miss Fuller was the only one who chose a typical Australian scene. Her picture shows a young girl in a thin white dress, standing in a bushy landscape ... The atmosphere around the graceful girl is well done, with its feeling of subtropical heat."
One reviewer thought her portraits were excellent. But they were less sure about how she painted Australian light. They wrote: "She had less success with our landscapes than with her figure subjects. This was because she liked to tone her pictures for indoor display. This made her lose the harsh Australian light and shade. Also, the English art style influenced how she painted our trees. She could never see our trees as dimly colored as they usually are."
In 1906, a critic for Perth's Western Mail reviewed the Western Australian Art Society's exhibition. They believed Florence Fuller's works were the best on display. They said the event was "another triumph for Miss Fuller."
Art critic Jenny McFarlane said Florence Fuller's work was complex. It combined European art traditions and Australian subjects. At times, it also included "radical new styles" inspired by Indian art and Theosophy. Florence's art style and subjects were strongly influenced by the ideas of the Theosophy movement. Compared to her earlier works, portraits painted in Adyar showed less color range. They shifted from formal portraits to showing the "hidden inner life" of the person. In Portrait of the Lord Buddha, she used colors that had special meanings in Theosophy. She also used very little shading.
In 1914, it was reported that Florence Fuller's art was in four public galleries. Three were in Australia and one in South Africa. This was a record for an Australian woman painter at that time. However, even though she was very successful early in her life, Florence later became almost forgotten. No obituaries (death notices) appeared in newspapers when she died in 1946. She is not mentioned in some important books about Australian women artists.
However, her work was included in the "Completing the picture: women artists and the Heidelberg era" exhibition in 1992-1993. Her art was also discussed in a book and exhibition called "Western Australian art and artists, 1900-1950." In 2013, Ann Gray called Florence Fuller "an important Australian woman artist." She also said Florence was "arguably Western Australia's most significant artist from the Federation period."
Florence Fuller's paintings are held by many art galleries. These include the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, the City of Perth, the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia's National Portrait Gallery, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the State Library of Victoria. Outside Australia, her work is held by the Newport Museum and Art Gallery in South Wales.
Images for kids
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Paper Boy (1888), acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in 2019
