British Women Artists 1780-1950: presented by Karen Taylor Fine Art

Karen Taylor presents an exhibition of forty works by British Women Artists from 1780 - 1950. Many have been recently rediscovered and reattributed.

While the difficulties confronted by women artists are becoming better known, it must not be forgotten that women were not admitted to the Schools of London's Royal Academy of Art until the 1860s, and remained excluded from their figure drawing classes until the 1890s. Married British women were not allowed to own property until 1870, including any profits from their work. Consequently they frequently inhabited the domestic sphere, as reflected in the subjects of many of the drawings in this catalogue.

Highlights include a strong group of landscapes with two recently reattributed watercolours of the Lake District by Harriet Lister (c. 1751-1821) whose work is currently on view at the Courtauld Gallery in 'A View of One's Own' highlighting landscapes by British Women Artists (1760-1860). They had been thought to be by her husband Amos Green (1735-1807). Dr Rachel Sloan will give a talk about the artist and her contemporaries at the exhibition on Monday 29 June at 5 pm. 

Female artists at work

An important album of prints and drawings of the family of Dawson Turner (1775-1858) patron of John Sell Cotman, antiquary, collector and naturalist, has recently emerged from the family and highlights the artistic skill of his daughters of his largely female household in their private moments.  Their work included thousands of drawings for numerous publications, a monument to unacknowledged female artistic endeavour. A delightful drawing by their eldest sister captures three of his younger daughters diligently sketching in his study.

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