Exhibitions and Memberships, 1899-1960
Large oil ‘John in Flannels’ also known as ‘On Leave’, 1943, shown at St Ives Society of Artists’ 1943 exhibition
Kathleen consistently exhibited her work, from 1899 to 1960
Exhibitions
According to detailed family records and newspaper articles, Kathleen exhibited her work regularly from 1899 to 1960, except during the First World War when most exhibiting ceased and between 1924-1927 when Kathleen’s husband health deteriorated. She exhibited through the following outlets: -
Acceptance as exhibitor at prestigious organisations, UK:
National Portrait Society (4 times, 1930-1935) [1]
National Society of Painters, Sculptors, & Printmakers (3 times, 1947-1949) [2]
New English Art Club (11 times, 1944-1957)
Pastel Society (3 times, 1934-1952)
Royal Academy (6 times, 1930-1954)
Royal Institute of Oil Painters (12 times, 1932-1954)
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colour (8 times, 1936-1960)
Royal Society of British Artists (9 times, 1944-1951)
Royal Society of Portrait Painters (7 times, 1929-1959)
Royal Watercolour Society, “Britain in Watercolour” exhibitions (multiple artworks), 5 times, 1953-1959), and “Observer Children’s Portraits” exhibition (1954)
Royal West of England Academy, Bristol (1950)
Society of Graphic Arts (1934 & 1949)
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (1931)
West London Artists (1938) [3]
Women’s International Art Club (1945) [4].
Pastel ‘Portrait of a Lady’, c 1934, exhibited by the Pastel Society in 1934
Art shows by societies/clubs where she was a members:
Campden Hill Group (multiple artworks, 4 times, 1950-1954) [5]
Forum Club (multiple artworks, 22 times, 1939-1960) [6]
Ipswich Fine Art Club (multiple artworks, multiple times, 1902-1911 and 1931-1934) [7]
Ridley Art Club (multiple artworks every year from 1932-1939, and from 1948-1959) [8]
Royal Society of British Artists’ Art Club (multiple artworks every year, 1931-1938)
Society of Women Artists (multiple works, 14 times, 1916-1960)
St Ives Society of Artists (multiple artworks, 14 times, 1940-1949).
Watercolour ‘Old Church Chelsea’, c 1908, exhibited at the Forum Club in 1954
Acceptance as exhibitor at prestigious organisations overseas:
Art Association of Montreal (later became Montreal Museum of Art) (multiple artworks, 1909)
Foreign Section at the Musée du Luxembourg, Jeu de Paume Pavillion in Tuileries Gardens, Paris – permanent display (2 works, 1934-1939) [9]
Paris Salon, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris (3 times, 1934, 1949 & 1950). The painting Kathleen entered in 1949 (oil of ‘Sir Patrick Geddes’) received an Honorable Mention, which was publicised in 1950. [10]
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Ottawa & Hamilton (multiple artworks, 1909)
National Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2 works, after 2nd World War – present).
Exhibitions of her own:
From her various homes in Ipswich, Little Blakenham, and London (multiple artworks, 4 times, 1902-1923)
Watercolour Room, Art Gallery, High Street, Ipswich with artist Sylvia Packard (multiple artworks, France, and Italy trip 1904, and multiple artworks, Holland, Belgium, and Germany trip 1907)
Solo Show - Canadian Landscapes (multiple artworks, c 1910-1916)
Solo Show, Forum Club (105 artworks, 1936)
New Grosvenor Gallery (multiple artworks, 3 times, 1940) [11]
Kensington Art Gallery (multiple artworks, 5 times, 1948-1953) [12].
Art Exhibition Bureau Tours [13].
These national tours took art exhibited in London for display in provincial towns. Kathleen had multiple artworks, in 8 tours, 1953-1960, showing pieces in the following tours:
Selection from the New English Art Club 1953 exhibition
Selection from the Royal Academy 1954 exhibition
“Commonwealth Landscapes” exhibitions, 1954 and 1955
“Living Women Artists Exhibition,”1955/56
“Britain in Watercolours” exhibition, 1959/60
Selection from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters 1959 exhibition, in 1960
Selection from the Royal Watercolour Society 1959 exhibition, in 1960.
Watercolour ‘Kicking Horse River, Field, British Columbia’, 1909, exhibited as part of the Commonwealth Landscapes Tour in 1954-55
Kathleen and her artworks were frequently highlighted in newspaper articles and received positive critiques in contemporary art reviews, as evidenced by the quotations featured throughout this website.
“Graceful and ravishing images of women alternate with serious and imposing faces of men. An art varied, calm and personal is an art ‘which satisfies’. Look at the portraits of Madame D’Esterre, of Miss Grace Ellison, those of Sir Patrick Geddes and of Rev W.F. Cobb DD etc. One can feel in the pencil drawings as well as in the paintings that the artist is also a musician.”
Memberships
Ipswich Fine Art Club [7]. In 1902, Kathleen became a member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club and remained a member until 1911 when she married and moved away from Suffolk. Although she again exhibited with them from 1931-1934.
Forum Club [6] was set up in 1919 for women, and several suffragettes and early feminists were members. At some point Kathleen joined and gave regular talks. In 1936 Kathleen held a solo exhibition there of 105 paintings and became the Vice-Chairman to the Art Board. In 1944, she became the Honorary Treasurer to the Art Board (ref. diaries, family records, catalogue).
Society of Women Artists (SWA) Kathleen first exhibited at the SWA in 1916 and is shown as an exhibiting member from 1932-1960 [14]. In 1950 and 1951, Kathleen was elected as an Associate Member of the SWA, and in 1952 she was elected as a Full Member (ref. family records).
Ridley Art Club [8]. Kathleen was the Honorary Secretary of the Ridley Art Club in 1939, and exhibited there from 1932-1959.
St Ives Society of Artists. Kathleen was a member and exhibited with them from 1940-1949.
Kathleen regularly exhibited with many organisations and may have been a member of some others such as the New English Art Club, the Campden Hill Group, and the West London Artists, but records are unclear.
References (for societies that no longer exist)
The National Portrait Society, founded 1910. Its main exhibition venue appears to have been the Grosvenor Gallery in London’s Bond Street until 1921 when it changed to the Grafton Galleries. It seems to have stopped exhibiting around 1923, although members are noted up well into the 1930s. https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/national-portrait-society
The National Society of Painters, Sculptors & Printmakers, formed 1930. Its aims were to meet a developing need for a central exhibition that would include all facets of art. Its annual exhibitions were held in February at the Mall Galleries. The Society was still functioning in 2018. https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/national-society-painters-sculptors-printmakers
The West London Artists. In Kathleen’s records there is a newspaper article from 1938 that gave a glowing review of her landscape ‘Fruit Market Bruges’. The article stated it was hung at the West London Artists’ 3rd summer exhibition, held at the Royal Institute Galleries in Piccadilly (which hosted many exhibitions by other societies). It also reported that the idea of having the show in August was that of the Chair (portraitist Thomas C Dugdale) and Vice-Chair (artist and illustrator Walter E Webster) of the ‘Council.’ Presumably, this was the Council of the West London Artists - both Messrs Dugdale and Webster lived in West London, as did Kathleen.
Originally called The Paris Club for International Women Artists, the Women’s International Art Club was founded on June 1st 1898 by a group of women artists from Britain and North American who were working and studying art in Paris. The aim of The Paris Club was to forward the cause of international women artists and unite for mutual help in exhibiting. It held annual exhibitions at the Grafton Galleries, London from 1900 onwards, as well as smaller regional exhibitions, until the late 1970s when the club disbanded. https://wiac.org.uk/
The Campden Hill Group. Campden Hill became a fashionable new suburb between Kensington Gardens and Holland Park in 1860. Numerous artists made their homes in Kensington and properties on the slope of Campden Hill became especially desirable, with space for studios. https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/campden/1.html. Presumably, a group of artists from the area was formed and held regular exhibitions. Kathleen lived on the edge of Campden Hill.
Forum Club, 1919 - 1958. Founded as The London Centre for Women's Institute Members, with several suffragettes and early feminists as members. Located at 6 Grosvenor Place Hyde Park, and 42 Belgrave Square (1952) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_Club
Ipswich Fine Art Club: https://suffolkartists.co.uk/index.cgi?choice=painter&pid=2097
Ridley Art Club: https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/ridley-art-club
Jeu De Paume, ‘1862-2024: The History of Jeu De Paume:’ https://jeudepaume.org/en/about-us/history/
Paris Salon. Le Salon des Artistes Français was an association set up by the French Government in 1881 which wanted the Paris Salon, created under Louis XIV, to be organized by artists going forward. From 1901, the Grand Palais, designed and built by artists (all members), became the location of the Salon and the association. However, towards the end of the 19th century other non-governmental associations set up annual art exhibitions also called salons - one of them was the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. In 1949 and 1950 (when Kathleen entered), these 2 societies collaborated to put on a "Paris Salon" to showcase a variety of artworks by French artists, marking one of the first major art exhibitions post-World War II in the city; it was a significant event for artists to gain recognition and exposure in the art world. During each annual exhibition, the jury of the painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, and architecture sections awarded medals and private prizes, which were published in the catalogue for the following year’s exhibition (such as Kathleen’s Honorable Mention). https://www.artic.edu/library/discover-our-collections/research-guides/paris-salons-1673present
New Grovenor Gallery. Kathleen’s records refer to “New Grosvenor Gallery, Selfridge’s 3rd Floor,”,and she had three exhibitions there in the first half of 1940. From Sept 1940 onwards, Selfridges suffered serious damage on a number of occasions, so perhaps the gallery ceased to operate after this point. There is also reference of a “new Grosvenor Gallery” at 51a New Bond Street, established by P. & D. Colnaghi & Co that operated from 1912-1924 but was not economically viable at that location. Perhaps they continued holding exhibitions at other locations in the subsequent years?
Kensington Art Gallery. There is no record of which commercial gallery this was between 1948-1953, or whereabouts it was in Kensington. However, reference can be found of another artist exhibiting in “The Kensington Gallery Salon, London (1948).”
Art Exhibitions Bureau : https://contemporaryartsociety.org/organisations/art-exhibitions-bureau-london
Charles Baile de Laperriere, Joanna Soden, “The Society of Women Artists Exhibitors 1855-1996, Vol 4, S-Z”, Hilmarton Manor Press, 1996, page 126.
