Rose Barton

Rose Barton was born in Ireland, the daughter of Augustine Barton, a lawyer of Rochestown, county Tipperary. In 1874 Rose travelled to Brussels with her mother and sister where she received drawing and painting lessons. On her return she studied under Paul Naftel R.W.S. in London and thence went to Paris in the early 1880's where she trained under the popular salon artist Henri Gervex.

The recurring traits that characterise her watercolours are a preoccupation with simple subjects with a sketchy impressionist finish and a preference for bright colours. One of her greatest achievements was the depiction of changing weather conditions; she loved to capture the reflections of objects in the rain of the effect of bright sunlight and especially the mysterious atmosphere of a fog. Her watercolours were clearly influenced by Turner and Whistler but always remained personal and fresh. The atmospheric and sensitive quality of the paintings can be seen in the context of other Irish women artists of the period, notably Mildred Anne Butler (her lifelong friend), Beatrice Gubbins, Lady Dobbin and Edith Somerville (her cousin).

Rose exhibited widely during her long professional career. She exhibited for the first time in Dublin in 1878 at the Royal Hibernian Academy and thereafter she moved freely between Dublin and London, exhibiting in both capitals. The 1880's was a period of development for Rose, during which time she showed her work at the Society of Lady Artists, the Royal Institute and the Royal Academy. Following her election as an Associate of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1893, she exhibited mainly with that body.

In 1898 Rose illustrated the book Picturesque Dublin, Old and New, by Francis Gerard, with ninety-one reproductions of grey wash drawings of views in and around Dublin. She embarked on a far more ambitious task in 1904 - the text and illustration of her own book, Familiar London. The book remains an impressive achievement, with over fifty colour illustrations of charming, atmospheric views of London. The text, though somewhat sentimental, gives us a fascinating insight into the working methods and attitudes of the artist.

By 1906 Rose was firmly established in London. In 1911 she was elected the first lady member of the Royal Watercolour Society. She died at the age of seventy-three at her home in Knightsbridge.

Examples of her work are in many public and private collections including the National Gallery of Ireland, the Crawford Municipal Art gallery, Cork, the Ulster Museum and Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin.