Mabel Annesley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady
Mabel Annesley
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In The Sketch, 18 April 1900
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Mabel Marquerite Annesley
25 February 1881 Annesley Lodge, Regent's Park, London, England
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| Died | 19 June 1959 (aged 78) Clare, Suffolk, England
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| Resting place | Long Melford, Suffolk, England |
| Known for | Wood engraving, watercolour painting |
| Elected | Ulster Academy of Arts |
Lady Mabel Marguerite Annesley (born February 25, 1881 – died June 19, 1959) was a talented British artist. She was especially known for her beautiful wood engravings and watercolour paintings. Her artworks are displayed in many important places. These include the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Museum of New Zealand. She even showed her work at the Festival of Britain in 1952, a big event celebrating British achievements.
Contents
Discovering Lady Mabel Annesley: Artist and Engraver
Lady Mabel Annesley's life was full of art and creativity. She became a respected artist whose work is still admired today. Let's explore her journey from her early days to becoming a recognized engraver and painter.
Early Life and Family Background
Mabel Marguerite Annesley was born in London, England, on February 25, 1881. Her father was Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl Annesley, a military officer and landowner. Her mother was Mabel Wilhelmina Frances Markham. Mabel's family had a strong connection to art. Her mother's great-grandfather was Sir Francis Grant, a famous portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy. Mabel also had a half-sister, Lady Constance Malleson, who became a writer and actress.
Mabel started her education at home. When she was 14, in 1895, she began studying at the Frank Calderon School of Animal Painting in London. This showed her early passion for art. By the age of 18, she was already a member of the Belfast Art Society. She continued to exhibit her art with them for many years, from 1899 to 1926.
In 1904, Mabel married Gerald Sowerby, a naval officer. They had one son, Gerald Francis Sowerby. Sadly, her husband passed away in 1913. A year later, Mabel inherited Castlewellan Castle after her brother Francis died. She moved back to the Castle in 1914 and decided to use her maiden name, Annesley, again. Castlewellan Castle was famous for its amazing arboretum, which is a special garden with many different kinds of trees. Mabel worked hard to care for the estate after facing financial challenges.
Developing Her Artistic Talents
Around the age of 40, Mabel learned a new art technique: wood engraving. From 1920 to 1921, she studied at the Central School in London with a teacher named Noel Rooke. She quickly became one of the top wood engravers in Britain. Her talent was recognized alongside other famous artists like Gwen Raverat and Robert Gibbings.
Wood Engraving: A Special Skill
Wood engraving is a type of printmaking. Artists carve designs into a block of wood, then ink the block and press it onto paper. Mabel was very skilled at this detailed art form. She exhibited 27 of her wood prints with the Society of Wood Engravers between 1922 and 1939. She became a member of the society in 1925. She even gave lectures about wood engraving at her studio in Belfast in 1925.
Exhibitions and Creative Works
Mabel Annesley illustrated several books for well-known publishers. These included Songs from Robert Burns (1925) for the Golden Cockerel Press. She also illustrated County Down Songs (1924) and Apollo in Mourne (1926) by Richard Rowley for Duckworths. Later in life, she developed arthritis, which made carving wood difficult. To continue her art, she cleverly started using lino (linoleum) instead of wood, as it was easier to carve.
Her artwork was shown in many places. She exhibited with the Watercolour Society of Ireland in 1926 and the Dublin Painters in 1938. Her art was also part of an Irish art exhibition in Brussels in 1930. In 1932, Mabel helped design costumes for a big historical celebration in County Down. This event marked the 1500th anniversary of St Patrick's landing. Around 1933, her watercolours, wood engravings, and silverpoints were displayed at the Batsford Gallery in London. In 1934, she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Ulster Academy. She later donated her collection of contemporary wood engravings, along with 20 of her own works, to the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in 1939.
Later Years and Lasting Legacy
Lady Mabel Annesley lived in several different places throughout her life. These included Belfast, Connemara, and Rathfriland. During the Second World War, she moved to New Zealand. She returned to England in 1953 and settled in Suffolk. While in New Zealand, she served as a trustee for the Bishop Suter Art Gallery in Nelson. She helped the gallery purchase new artworks when she visited England.
Lady Mabel Annesley passed away on June 19, 1959, in Clare, Suffolk, due to a serious illness. She was buried in Long Melford, Suffolk. She had been working on her autobiography, a book about her own life, called As the Sight Is Bent. This book was published after her death in 1964. In it, she mentioned that artists Paul Nash and David Jones were important inspirations for her. A special exhibition of her work was held at the Whitworth Art Gallery in 1960 to honor her memory.
Today, Lady Mabel Annesley is remembered with an Ulster History Circle blue plaque. This plaque is located at the Arboretum in Castlewellan Forest Park, County Down, where she once lived and worked. It serves as a reminder of her significant contributions to art.
See also
See also
In Spanish: Mabel Annesley para niños
