Tuesday 19th December - Isabel Frances Douton (1858-1924)

Today, I am off to Cadbury World, so I am beginning this at 4.30am and who knows what time I will finish it but I can guarantee you that I will be full of chocolate and probably feeling a bit sick.  I can't wait.  For today's subject, I am profoundly grateful to SRadcliffe53 on Ancestry for making their records on Isabel Frances Douton publicly accessible, especially the will, which is a corker. So, let's meet Isabel...

Portrait of a Girl (undated)

There is not very much written about Isabel, and I suspect that is the curse of the miniature striking again. In this day and age, a book on miniature painters would be splendid as you could blow the images up next to a life-size picture.  I'd buy that, it sounds gorgeous.  I don't think exhibitions are completely out of the question - you wouldn't need a big room, after all. You'd maybe need a lot of magnifying glasses...

Isabel Frances Douton was born in Biggleswade (excellent name for a place) in the summer of 1858 to Charles (1821-1900) and Anne (1825-1896).  Charles was the vicar of Biggleswade, which has to be the title of a book and if not, should be. They had married in 1852 and Isabel was the fourth of six children, surrounded by George (1853-1924), Mary (1855-1926), Robert (1856-1918), Charles Jnr (1860-1899) and finally Anna (1864-1890). I find it interesting that Charles and Robert are sent away to school, but George remains at home in the 1871.  George and Charles both became school teachers, while Robert joined the Merchant Navy had adventures overseas and was buried at sea near Egypt.

Miniature of a Girl (undated)

As Isabel is in neither my trusty Dictionary of Women Artists by Chris Petteys or Dictionary of British Art, Vol IV Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood (so big, you could repel attackers with them) so my details of her education is a little thin. She attended the Cheltenham School of Art, but, by a mention in the newspapers in 1895, she has magically become a 'Birmingham artist.' By this point, the family has moved to Cheltenham, and Charles had become the Curate of St Stephens, which is very nice too. Isabel is recorded with having no profession in the 1891 census, and I will not stop being hacked off when middle class girls don't confess to having aspirations in 1890.

The Cheltenham Chronicle were the first to mention her in 1891 when Isabel achieved 1st class excellent in freehand, 1st class in model drawing, 1st class excellent in perspective, 1st class in outline from cast, 1st class in shading from solid, 1st class in shading from ornament, and a whole host more.  In 1892, at the Cheltenham School of Art meeting and prize giving, Isabel is awarded a prize for her 'shading from ornament.' She went on to exhibit with the Cheltenham Fine Art Society in 1895 where she had no less than five pieces, but the Cheltenham Chronicle particularly like the group of three children Ruth, Geoffrey and Phyllis.  The Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette praised her excellent work. She was back at the Cheltenham Fine Art Society in 1896 with a 'very effective pastel portrait' but she would have to wait until 1904 before she reached the Royal Academy.

Part of why I was interested in Isabel is her solid RA record which contrasts with how obscure she is.  As I said above, this might be miniature-ist prejudice but there are certainly artists who have done less who get more attention. In 1901, with both of her parents dead, Isabel had moved to Hammersmith where she would remain for her artistic career.  She is listed as 'living on own means' - for goodness sake - in the census, and has a servant.  She appeared at the Royal Academy in 1904 with a portrait of Mildred, Daughter of  Rev. F H Bolingbroke (a portrait of her neice) but received no reviews for that nor for her RA 1905 piece Miss Taverner. She also appeared at the Fine Art Society exhibition with Stella, 'a graceful sketch' according to the Morning Post.

Mildred Bolingbroke (1882-1970) (1904)

1906 was a busy year for Isabel.  She had A Bonnie Wee Bairn at the Royal Academy (nothing in the papers for that). Isabel still exhibited in the Cheltenham and County Fine Art Society exhibition and won the first prize for a professional miniature, which was £1 1s.  The Cheltenham Looker-On paper reported 'The first prize for professionals has been gained by Miss Douton. Her portrait of a child is executed with painstaking care, and leaves nothing to be desired.' Her miniatures were also praised as 'very artistic' by the Liverpool Daily Post when they appeared in a special exhibition by the Royal Society of Miniature Painters at the Liverpool Autumn exhibition.

By this point, Isabel seems to have become a regular fixture at the Royal Society of Miniature Painters exhibitions, showing pieces of 'distinctive style' in 1907 and studies that 'derive charm from their light-handed grace of treatment' in 1908, both mentioned in the Morning Post. As the Globe said, reviewing her work in the Royal Society of Miniature Painters exhibition in 1908, 'good things come from Isabel F Douton.'

Isabel's work also appeared at the Irish International Exhibition in 1907, lending two miniatures, Baby Richard and Dear Lady Disdain to the art section. She missed the 1907 RA but returned in 1908 with Queen of my Heart and in 1909 with A Little Maid from School (possibly inspired by the Mikado).  Her 1910 RA portrait was of her brother Robert's daughter Isabel (1894-1975), although that family were on the other side of the world in Australia.  I wonder if it was the result of a visit (which would be a massive journey to do for a visit) or possible a photograph. 1911's RA saw Isabel exhibit Rough et Noir, but again, to no press coverage.

Mrs Duncan Baille (c.1913)

If it wasn't for the Queen magazine, I think I might have despaired that Isabel would get any more mentions but they start a column reviewing the Royal Society of Miniature Painters exhibitions and we do at least get some comment on Isabel's work and the occasional ropey image, like the above. On her miniature of Mrs Duncan Baille, the Queen wrote that it was a 'good example of the charm and vividness with which a head can be painted in little when no attempt is made to "prettify." A likeness may be pleasing or otherwise but it is the first requisite of a portrait, large or small, and when, as in this case, it is the former [pleasing] that is all that is wanted.'

Isabel's work was mentioned in Cyril Davenport's 1913 book entitled Miniatures, Ancient and Modern. In the Royal Academy in 1914, Isabel had two miniatures, Chloe and Susan and in the Royal Society of Miniature Painters exhibition of the same year she had Robert, son of Douglas King Esq, which was praised as being a worthy example of a looser style of painting. She continued to exhibit at the RA with La Jeunesse and Doris (1915), Prunella, Blonde Cendree and  Valerie (1916), Benjamin (1917), Tommy, son of Lieutenant Colonel C. Evill DSO (1918) a portrait of Charles Ariel Evill's son Thomas Hayward Evill (1911-1967), Miss Grace Sweet (1919) and finally The Maid I Love and Guinevere in 1924.

Miniature of a Child (undated)

Isabel died in 1925, leaving her brother George her china, his wife two miniatures of her choosing, her sister Mary a miniature mounted in a locket, her cousin Elizabeth two books and two miniatures, plus other bequests among nieces, nephews and friends. In a wonderfully macabre move, the second item in her will reads 'Having all my life suffered from fear of premature burial I earnestly request my Executors to employ a surgeon to sever an artery in my body before it is placed in a coffin and I direct them to pay such surgeon a fee of Ten guineas for so doing.' I am in awe.

Today we have learned again how miniature painting was a lady's world and you shouldn't expect any publicity.  Isabel also followed the path of being a celebrated local artist before heading for London, so that the people back home will root for you, for a while at least. I doubt she will be our last lady on that path.