Penelope Carwardine facts for kids
Penelope Carwardine (born in 1729, died in 1804), also known by her married name Penelope Butler, was a talented English artist. She was famous for painting very small, detailed pictures called miniatures.
Early Life and Family
Penelope Carwardine was born in Withington, England, and was baptised on April 29, 1729. She was one of eight children in her family. Her parents were John Carwardine and Anne Bullock. Sadly, her father lost the family's money and property. Because of this, Penelope started painting miniatures to earn money for her family.
Her mother, Anne Carwardine, was also a miniature painter. They even showed their artwork together. In 1761 and 1762, they displayed their miniatures at a special art show in London. They used the name "Mrs Thomas Carwardine (Anne)" for these shows. Penelope continued to show her art in 1771 and 1772.
Becoming a Miniature Artist
Penelope Carwardine became very skilled at miniature painting. Some old records say she was taught by an artist named Ozias Humphrey. She was said to have mastered this art by 1754. However, Ozias Humphrey was born in 1742, so he was much younger than her. It's possible that the records got mixed up, and maybe she taught him instead!
Penelope was part of a group of English miniature artists called the Modest School. Other artists in this group included Peter Paul Lens and Gervase Spencer. Most of her miniature paintings were created between 1750 and 1790. You can often find her initials, PC, signed on her work.
Later Life and Friends
On May 26, 1773, Penelope married James Butler. He was an organist, which means he played the organ at a church in London. They got married at the Church of St. James Piccadilly.
Penelope was good friends with two other famous artists, Joshua Reynolds and his sister, Frances Reynolds. Sir Joshua Reynolds even painted a portrait of one of Penelope's sisters as a gift for her.
Many of Penelope's miniature paintings stayed with her family for a long time. In 1887, her family still owned many of her works. They also had three portraits of Penelope herself. One was painted by Thomas Bardwell in 1750. Another was painted by a Chinese artist around 1756. The third was by George Romney around 1790.
Penelope Carwardine passed away on October 14, 1805. She was buried in Preston Wynne, Herefordshire, the same area where she grew up.
