Gertrude Martineau (1837[1] - 1 May 1924)[2] was a British watercolour painter, woodcarver, and teacher.[3][4][5] She was one of the earliest female professors at Bedford College for Women, where she directed the school of art.[5]

Gertrude Martineau
Born1837
Died(1924-05-01)1 May 1924
Occupation(s)Painter, woodcarver, teacher
EmployerBedford College, London
Parent
RelativesEdith Martineau (sister); Harriet Martineau (aunt)

Life edit

Martineau was born in Liverpool, the daughter of Unitarian minister James Martineau.[3] She was the sister of Edith Martineau.[3][6]

Alongside Edith, her younger sister, Martineau was a member of a small group of female artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelites.[4] She was a painter of animals, flowers and genre scenes.[6]

From 1873 to 1884, Martineau conducted the Art School at Bedford College, London, one of the few women professors during the college's first forty years.[5] Her time as director of the art school was a period of particular popularity with pupils.[7]

Martineau spent much of her time in London, also visiting the family's home in Rothiemurchus, Scotland.[4] She painted there,[8] as well as teaching art and woodcarving.[4][9][10]

In 1907, Martineau laid the foundation stone of the Martineau Memorial Hall in Norwich.[11] In 1913, Martineau erected a monument at Rothiemurchus in commemoration of her father.[12][13][14]

Gertrude Martineau died on 1 May 1924 at home in London.[2] She left money to a variety of causes and organisations in her will, including Manchester College, The Martineau Memorial Hall and Sunday School in Norwich, the Sunday School Association, Luke's House (Home for the Dying), Rothiemurchus Carving, and the Mayhew Home for Lost Cats and Dogs.[2]

In 1925, Violet Isabel Martineau published a memoir called Gertrude Martineau and Rothiemurchus.[15]

Bibliography edit

  • Outline Lessons on Morals (1881)
  • Home Counsels (1889)
  • A Village Class for Drawing and Wood Carving: Hints to Teachers (1891)
  • Life in Earnest: Talks to Children [Reprinted The Inquirer] (1910)

References edit

  1. ^ "England & Wales Births 1837-2006". www.findmypast.co.uk. 1837. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  2. ^ a b c "Wills". Hampstead News. 19 June 1924. p. 4.
  3. ^ a b c "Martineau, Gertrude". Anthony Woodd. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  4. ^ a b c d "Gertrude Martineau - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  5. ^ a b c Tuke, Margaret J. (1939). A History of Bedford College for Women. Oxford University Press.
  6. ^ a b "Martineau, Edith (Miss)". Benezit Dictionary of Artists. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00300589. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  7. ^ Yeldham, Charlotte (1984). Women artists in nineteenth-century France and England : their art education, exhibition opportunities and membership of exhibiting societies and academies, with an assessment of the subject matter of their work and summary biographies. Internet Archive. New York : Garland. ISBN 978-0-8240-5989-7.
  8. ^ Royal Institute of Painters in water colours. Getty Research Institute. Graphic Office. 1884.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ Harris, Elree I. (1997). A gallery of her own : an annotated bibliography of women in Victorian painting. Internet Archive. New York : Garland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8153-0040-3.
  10. ^ Cochrane, R. (3 July 1891). "Home Industries". Mothers' Companion. p. 15.
  11. ^ "The Foundation Stone of the Martineau Memorial Hall". Eastern Evening News. 20 April 1907. p. 2.
  12. ^ "Dr. James Martineau". Westminster Gazette. 26 June 1913. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Unveiling of the Martineau Memorial at Aviemore". Gentlewoman. 5 July 1913. p. 29.
  14. ^ "MHG4696 - James Martineau Memorial, Rothiemurchus - Highland Historic Environment Record". her.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  15. ^ "Speyside Memories". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 13 January 1926. p. 6.

External links edit