Forgive me as I briefly digress from Mary Poppins for a post
Mary Shepard's mother as I mentioned earlier was Florence Eleanor Chaplin born on 18 June 1876 in Highbury, London. What drove me to research more about her was that in so many information pages about Mary Shepard it was only Earnest H Shepard (Mary's father) who was mentioned, not her artist illustrator mother. Indeed Earnest's father, Henry Dunkin Shepard who was an architect is always mentioned in his artistic heritage, not his mother Harriette Jessie Lee who was also an artist. In this way women artists are erased from art history.
Above: Florence and Apple Blossom by Earnest Shepard.
Florence and Ernest met and fell in love at the Royal Academy Art School, they were married on the 28 September 1904 in St Andrew, Wandsworth, London.
On 29 September 1927 Florence died aged just 51 under the anaesthetic while undergoing a minor nasal operation to alleviate her asthma. I wish I could find more of her paintings, and I will continue to endeavour to, and not just two studies produced when she was a student.
One of her paintings is on the wall in one of the buildings at Guy’s Hospital. Talk to the chaplain of the hospital. I saw it today.
ReplyDeleteIm in London next week i will try to find it. Thank you
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