Independence, art and travel in Victorian England: Ella Du Cane
A quick look into the collaboration between the Du Cane sisters
Ella Du Cane (1874-1943) was a British watercolour artist who would frequently collaborate with her sister Florence du Cane on travel books. Ella would do the artworks (often on location) while Florence would write. Ella had no formal artist training apart from some lessons from a family friend Sir James Linton.
Ella has this remarkable ability for painting landscapes, selecting the perfect colour/tones and atmosphere. I love how lush her pieces are! Ella and Florence were able to travel abroad to Italy, Madeira, Japan, Egypt and China. Queen Victoria was so taken by her work she ended up acquiring 26 artworks from Du Cane, with some being used as gifts. Scroll to the end to find full download links to the books Ella and Florence worked on.
View the full books here:
The Flowers and gardens of Japan, 1909
The Canary Islands, 1911
The Italian Lakes, written by Richard Bagot, 1912
The flowers and gardens of Madeira, 1909
Further Reading
Alison Redfoot, Victorian Watercolorist Ella Mary Du Cane: A study in resistance and compliance of gender stereotypes, the professional art world, Orientalism, and the interpretation of Japanese gardens for British society. MA thesis, California State University at Long Beach, 2011.
Maria Patricia Quirk, Reconsidering Professionalism: Women, Space and Art in England, 1880-1914. Thesis, University of Queensland, 2015.
That no formal training part is melting my mind - her talents are head and shoulders above! Thanks for introducing me to a new artist and for the book links!
Meraviglioso. Grazie