Mildred Anne Butler RA RWS
Born in 1858, Mildred Anne Butler lived most of her life at her family home, Kilmurry. She inherited the home from her father, it would become a prominent subject and source of inspiration across her work. She typically painted en plein air, achieving of great sense of natural light, atmosphere and realism, often depicting garden scenes with cattle, birds and flowers as her subjects. She travelled to Europe and studied in Paris, where she made contact with Stanhope Forbes of the Newlyn School. Newlyn painting combined the impressionist doctrine of working directly from the subject, and where appropriate in the open air, with subject matter drawn from rural life.
In 1896, Butler exhibited a watercolour, Morning Bath, at the Royal Academy, which was a rare and major achievement for a women artist during this period, this painting was then later presented to the Tate, London. Her work was included in an album of watercolours presented to the future Queen Mary. Queen Mary later bought a watercolour by Butler, and in 1922, she painted a tiny picture of crows for the Queen’s doll house at Windsor. She exhibited at the first Belfast Art Society show and was one of the first nine academicians elected by the Ulster Academy of Arts in 1930.
Butler spent most of her life in the family home at Kilmurry with frequent trips to England and Europe. She continued painting until the 1930s when she stopped due to her arthritis and died in 1941.
In 1896, Butler exhibited a watercolour, Morning Bath, at the Royal Academy, which was a rare and major achievement for a women artist during this period, this painting was then later presented to the Tate, London. Her work was included in an album of watercolours presented to the future Queen Mary. Queen Mary later bought a watercolour by Butler, and in 1922, she painted a tiny picture of crows for the Queen’s doll house at Windsor. She exhibited at the first Belfast Art Society show and was one of the first nine academicians elected by the Ulster Academy of Arts in 1930.
Butler spent most of her life in the family home at Kilmurry with frequent trips to England and Europe. She continued painting until the 1930s when she stopped due to her arthritis and died in 1941.