Theophila Gwatkin facts for kids
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Theophila Gwatkin (born Palmer; 15 May 1757 – 4 July 1848) was a British artist. She is known as an amateur painter. She is most famous for being painted by her uncle, the famous artist Sir Joshua Reynolds. Theophila also helped publish a book by her mother, Mary Reynolds, called A Devonshire Dialogue. She added an introduction, notes, and a dictionary of local words to it.
Early Life and Family
Theophila Gwatkin was born on May 15, 1757, in Great Torrington, Devon. Her mother was Mary Reynolds, who was also a writer. Her father was John Palmer.
Theophila's mother loved art very much. She had a big influence on her brother, Sir Joshua Reynolds, when he was young. She even helped pay for his art training and his trip to Italy in 1749.
When Theophila was 13, she and her sister Mary lived with Sir Joshua in London. Sir Joshua loved his nieces very much. He gave Theophila the special nickname 'Offy'. Sometimes it was spelled 'Offee' or 'Offe'.
Theophila as a Model
Theophila and her sister, and later Theophila's own daughter (who was also named Theophila), often posed for Sir Joshua's paintings. They would sit for him when he was painting women. Theophila especially modeled for many of Sir Joshua's "fancy subjects." One famous painting she posed for was Strawberry Girl. She also sat for the "Comic" figure in his painting David Garrick between the Tragic and Comic Muse. She was very young at that time.
Sir Joshua's home was always full of art. A friend named Robert Haydon once remembered a conversation with Theophila. She said, "Everybody in the house painted." This included her sister, the coachman, and even the house servant. They all copied pictures and talked about art. Theophila lived with Sir Joshua until she got married at age 22. Her sister stayed with him until he passed away in 1792.
Marriage and Later Life
Theophila married Robert Lovell Gwatkin in 1780. As a wedding gift, Sir Joshua gave them a portrait of Theophila that he had started painting in 1776. After her marriage, she became known as Mrs. Gwatkin. She and Robert had ten children together: seven daughters and three sons.
Theophila's mother had written a book called Devonshire Dialogue. This book was shared privately among friends before her mother died in 1794. In 1837, Theophila's nephew, James Frederick Palmer, published some of his grandmother's dialogues with his own notes.
Then, in 1839, Theophila collected all of her mother's dialogues. She added her own introduction, notes, and a dictionary of local words. This complete version, A Devonshire Dialogue, gave credit for most of the word dictionary to a man named Rev. John Phillips, who had died ten years earlier.
Theophila Gwatkin passed away on July 4, 1848, at the age of 91. She was visiting her daughter in Ideford Rectory, Devonshire, when she died.
