Winifred Austen facts for kids
Winifred Maria Louise Austen (born July 12, 1876 – died November 1, 1964) was a talented English artist. She was known for her detailed drawings, paintings, and etchings of small animals and birds. She loved to show them in their natural homes.
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Early Life and Learning
Winifred was born in Ramsgate, Kent, in 1876. Her father, Josiah Austin, was a naval surgeon from Cornwall, and her mother was Fanny Austin. Her father later became a doctor in London. Winifred went to the London County Council School of Arts and Crafts. There, she learned from Cuthbert Edmund Swan, who was famous for painting animals. She also took private art lessons from another artist named Louise Jopling.
Her Art Career
Winifred Austen loved to draw wild animals and birds. Many people asked her to create pictures for magazines and books. Her etchings (a type of printmaking) of animals were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1903, she showed a painting called "The Day of Reckoning" at the Royal Academy in London. It showed a wolf being chased by hunters in a snowy forest. She also showed other wolf scenes, like one where a wolf howls at the moon. In 1908, she displayed four more artworks there, including portraits of a lion and pictures inspired by famous fables.
Winifred often showed her work at the Royal Society of Painter Etchers' yearly exhibition. In 1922, she became a member of this important art group. She was very good at showing the details of animals. She also became a member of the Society of Women Artists in 1902 and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1933. From 1903, she was a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society, which studies animals.
Winifred's Artwork Style
Winifred Austen painted many different kinds of animals. She was especially good at drawing small mammals and birds. She paid great attention to every tiny detail of her subjects. She also made sure the environment around them looked just right. For example, she would carefully show the colors of leaves in different seasons, even adding hundreds of tiny buds to a tree.
Her art style was quite varied. She enjoyed using watercolors, oil paints, and etching. Her artworks could be bright and colorful paintings or detailed grayscale etchings. Most of her art showed animals doing everyday things. You might see them finding food, living together in groups, flying, or hunting. This was special for artists at that time. She often drew her subjects in motion, not just standing still. This made her pictures feel lively and natural.
One of her most detailed artworks is "Zebra Finches." It truly shows how much effort she put into both the birds and their surroundings. The birds' necks have fine black and white lines. You can see the texture of individual feathers on their chests and spots on their wings and tails. The tree the finches are on is also painted with amazing detail. You can clearly see each leaf and flower petal.
Her Personal Life
Winifred married Oliver O'Donnell Frick, who was her agent, in 1917. Sadly, he passed away in 1923. Her artwork was also part of the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Winifred became very involved with protecting birds. She worked with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Havergate Island Bird Sanctuary in Suffolk. She worked hard to help protect many bird species across the United Kingdom.
In 1926, Winifred moved to a small house in Suffolk. She lived there for the rest of her life. She passed away in Bickley in 1964.
Books She Illustrated
- A Book of Dogs by E Nesbit, 1898
- At the Zoo by A Cooke, 1920
- Field, River and Hill by E Parker, 1927
- Marsh and Mud Flat by K Dawson, 1931
- Just an Oridinary Shoot, 1935
- Birds Ashore and Aforeshore by P Chalmers, 1935
