Ellis Rowan, Blue Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea rudolphi print.

by Ellis Rowan

Reproduction from a watercolour by Ellis Rowan (1848-1922), who won international prizes for paintings of flowers, butterflies, and birds. This print of birds of paradise is typical of her style.

Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922) was born in Melbourne to a family of pioneering squatters and naturalists. She became a naturalist and taught herself to paint. In 1873 she married Captain Charles Rowan who had a keen interest in botany and encouraged her to paint wildflowers while resident in New Zealand. From 1883 to 1922 she painted nearly 3,000 paintings - more species of flora and fauna than any other artist of her era, frequently travelling on horseback and when not possible exploring on foot in her long Victorian dress, high-buttoned boots, hat and gloves.

Of fragile appearance, Ellis Rowan had a strong determination and strength. When 40, a judging panel of eminent men from over a dozen nations awarded her the major Gold Medal at the Victorian Artists’ Society’s competition at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne, for her painting of Australian flowers and and insects. Despite this the male artists and ‘purists’ of the Australian art world were not impressed by the fact that she had little formal art training and had mainly taught herself. It wasn’t until after her death that she received the recognition she deserved when Federal Parliament in Australia described her as a “distinctly talented Australian”!

Painted to the edge of the page: 42 x 31cm (16.5 x 12.5 inches)