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Lily Delissa Joseph
Self-Portrait with Candles.jpg
Self-Portrait with Candles, c.1910
Born
Lily Solomon

24 June 1863
Bermondsey, London
Died 27 July 1940(1940-07-27) (aged 77)
Resting place Willesden Jewish Cemetery
Nationality British
Education
  • Ridley School of Art
  • Royal College of Art
Known for Painting
Spouse(s) Delissa Joseph (m.1887)

Lily Delissa Joseph, born Lily Solomon, (June 24, 1863 – July 27, 1940) was a talented British artist. She was also a strong supporter of women's rights and worked to help women get the right to vote in the United Kingdom.

Life and Art of Lily Delissa Joseph

Lily Delissa Joseph was born in Bermondsey, London, into a wealthy and artistic Jewish family. Her older brother, Solomon Joseph Solomon, was also a famous artist. Her cousin was the painter Flora Lion.

Early Art Education and Style

Lily studied art at the Ridley School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. She painted many different subjects, including:

  • Portraits (pictures of people)
  • Interiors (scenes inside rooms)
  • Urban landscapes (city scenes)

Her painting style was clearly influenced by Impressionism. This art style uses small, thin brushstrokes to show light and movement. Lily often used a limited number of colors in her paintings.

Activism and Community Work

Lily Delissa Joseph was not only an artist but also a dedicated activist. She worked hard to support two important causes:

She was one of the people who started the Ladies' Guild at the Hammersmith Synagogue in west London. She also managed reading rooms in the Whitechapel area, providing places for people to read and learn.

Supporting Other Artists

In 1911, Lily met Isaac Rosenberg, a young poet and artist. She briefly hired him to teach her children. Later, she helped pay for his studies at the Slade School of Art, showing her support for new talent.

Involvement in the Suffrage Movement

Lily was very committed to the women's suffrage movement. She was even detained at least once during her activism. When her art exhibition, Some London and Country Interiors, was reviewed in the Jewish Chronicle in 1912, a special note appeared. It apologized for her absence from the show's opening because "she was detained at Holloway Goal in connection with the Women's Suffrage Movement."

Adventures and Exhibitions

Lily Delissa Joseph was an adventurous person. She enjoyed cycling and was an early pilot, flying planes when it was still very new. She also loved driving and even traveled to Palestine by car in the 1920s.

Showcasing Her Artwork

In 1924, Lily and her husband, who was an architect, held a joint exhibition. They showed their drawings and paintings at the Suffolk Street Galleries. Throughout her life, Lily regularly displayed her art at the Royal Academy of Arts. She showed about twenty-five paintings there between 1904 and 1938.

She also exhibited her work with other art groups, such as:

  • The Society of Women Artists
  • The New English Art Club
  • The Royal Society of British Artists

Lily even exhibited at the Paris Salon, a famous art show in Paris. She received an Honourable Mention once and won a silver medal in 1929.

Art in Collections

After her death, the Ben Uri Gallery in London held a joint exhibition of her works with her brother Solomon in 1946. Her paintings were also part of the Jewish Art of Great Britain 1845–1945 exhibition in 1978.

The Ben Uri Gallery owns her painting Self-Portrait with Candles. This painting shows Lily holding two Sabbath candles, with her head covered, observing the Jewish Sabbath. The Tate art collection also has a London scene by Lily from 1937, called Roofs, High Holborn. It shows the view from her studio towards the Old Bailey.

Later Life and Legacy

Lily Delissa Joseph lived in Birchington-on-Sea in Kent for some time. She passed away on July 27, 1940. She is buried at the Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

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