Margaret Oliver Brown facts for kids
Margaret Oliver Brown (born Margaret MacDonald) was a talented Scottish artist. She was born on September 20, 1912, and passed away on November 17, 1990. She started her career as a commercial artist, creating art for businesses. Later, she studied painting at the famous Glasgow School of Art from 1937 to 1941. Margaret was also one of the people who helped start the New Scottish Group, a special art group.
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Margaret Brown's Early Life
Margaret Oliver Brown was born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on September 20, 1912. Her father was an engineer who worked on ships, and he came from North Uist. Her mother was from Fife.
Margaret grew up in an area of Glasgow called Pollokshields. She lived there with her two brothers, Ian and Alex. She went to Scotland Street School. This school was designed by a famous architect named Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the early 1900s.
Family Life and Moving
On August 4, 1936, Margaret married William Oliver Brown. He was a French teacher and a well-known political activist. He was also a Scottish nationalist, meaning he strongly supported Scotland's independence.
Margaret and Oliver had two daughters. Their first daughter, Catriona, was born in 1944. Their second daughter, Una, was born in 1948. After her husband died in 1976, Margaret moved to a special type of housing for older people in 1980. In 1987, she moved to Norwich to live with her daughter Una. Margaret Oliver Brown passed away on November 17, 1990.
Margaret Brown's Art Career
In 1927, Margaret began taking classes at the Publicity Club of Glasgow. She earned certificates in Elementary Advertising. She also worked as an apprentice at a printing company. From 1930 to 1936, she was the Advertising Manager at Arnotts Department Store in Glasgow.
Founding the New Scottish Group
Margaret was one of the first members of the New Art Club, which started in 1940. This group later changed its name to the New Scottish Group in 1942. She was good friends with other artists in the group, including Louise Annand, Millie Frood, Margaret Morris, Jankel Adler, Josef Herman, and George Hannah.
Throughout the 1940s, Margaret showed her artwork in many places. She exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Glasgow Institute. She also showed her art with the Society of Independent Scottish Artists and her own New Scottish Group.
Later Work as an Illustrator
In 1949, Margaret developed a serious illness called rheumatoid arthritis. This made it difficult for her to continue painting. However, she was still able to work as a successful freelance illustrator during the 1950s and 1960s. A freelance illustrator creates drawings and pictures for different clients.
During this time, she wrote a column in the Glasgow Evening Times newspaper. It was called 'MOBservations'. She also created funny drawings about politics for her husband's political pamphlets. These drawings often made fun of political situations or people.
Artworks in Public Collections
Many of Margaret Oliver Brown's artworks are kept in public collections. This means you can find them in museums and galleries for everyone to see.
- Self Portrait, 1939 (Perth & Kinross Council, Scotland)
- Oliver Brown, 1902 - 1976. Founder member of the Scottish National Party, around 1940 (Scottish National Portrait Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Self Portrait, late 1930s or early 1940s (Scottish National Portrait Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Wild Flowers, early 1940s (National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Chrysanthemums, around 1945 (Perth & Kinross Council, Scotland)
- Suspicion, around 1945 (Perth & Kinross Council, Scotland)
- Female Portrait (Glasgow School of Art, Scotland)
- Male Portrait (Glasgow School of Art, Scotland)
