Mary Rose Hill Burton facts for kids

Mary Rose Hill Burton (born July 10, 1859 – died June 5, 1900) was a talented British artist and someone who cared deeply about nature. She worked to protect natural places. Mary Rose was involved in protests that tried, but failed, to stop a factory from being built. This factory was planned for the beautiful Falls of Foyers, which are near Loch Ness in Inverness-shire.

Early Life and Learning

Mary Rose Hill Burton was born in Edinburgh in 1859. She came from a very smart and well-known family. Her father, John Hill Burton, was a historian. Her grandfather, Cosmo Innes, was a legal expert.

Her uncle, Robert Finlay, became a very important judge called the Lord Chancellor. Her aunt, Mary Burton, was the first woman to lead the Watt Institution and School of Arts in Edinburgh. Mary Rose's mother, Katherine Innes Burton, studied art and later worked as a nurse. She also helped lead a group called the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women. This group helped women get an education. The Burton family was even friends with a young Arthur Conan Doyle, who later wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories!

Mary Rose got help from the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women for her schooling. She then traveled to Munich and Paris to study art even more. She learned from famous teachers like Gustave Courtois and Raphael Collins.

Artistic Career and Nature Work

Mary Rose Hill Burton was a busy artist. She painted many different things, like still lifes (pictures of objects), landscapes (pictures of nature), and street scenes. Her paintings were shown in important art shows, including those at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Founding Art Clubs and Exhibitions

In 1889, Mary Rose helped start the Edinburgh Lady Artists' Club. This club was for women artists. She also had two art shows all by herself in London in 1895 and 1896. These shows featured paintings from her travels in Japan. She painted them while visiting her older brother, W. K. Burton, who lived there.

Murals and Teaching

Mary Rose also painted large pictures directly onto walls, called murals. One of her most famous mural projects was a series of panels showing the four seasons. These were in the dining room of St. Giles' House in Ramsay Garden. A critic at the time said she did a "complete success" with her murals. She also taught an art class called "Painting and Decoration" at the Old Edinburgh School of Art.

Protecting the Falls of Foyers

Mary Rose Hill Burton was very active in trying to save the beautiful Falls of Foyers. This area was near her home in the Highlands. The North British Aluminium Company wanted to build a factory there. This factory would have been a smelting plant, which changes raw materials into metal.

Mary Rose strongly opposed this plan because she loved the natural beauty of the Falls. She made many drawings and paintings of the Falls before the factory was built. She wanted to capture how beautiful the landscape was before it changed forever. Even though she worked hard, the protests were not successful, and the factory was built.

Mary Rose Hill Burton died in 1900 when she was 42 years old. She was traveling and working in Rome at the time.