Dorothy Blackham

Dorothy Isabel Blackham was born in Dublin on 1 March 1896, the daughter of the Chief Cashier at Kingsbridge. She trained in Dublin at the Royal Hibernian Academy with Dermod O'brien from 1916 to 1921, and at the Metropolitan School of Art and in London at Goldsmith's College from 1921 to 1922. The Tailteann Festivals of 1928 and 1932 saw her awarded medals for her works. She also taught, but never gained a large following. During the 1939-1945 war she worked in Gibraltar, amongst refugees. After the war she married Elsner Stewart, but she continued to paint under her maiden name. At first they lived in London, but then moved to Donaghadee, county Down. She painted nearly until her own death in 1975, in spite of being severely crippled by arthritis.

While at the Royal Hibernian Academy she took particular interest in the design of posters. Her subjects tend to be firmly rooted in Ireland, especially the West and North, although she also tool inspiration from scenes in London, as, for example, House Painting in Paddington, in England, in Scotland and on the Continent. She also did scraper-board drawing for The Bell magazine and Christmas cards, as well as work in oils, watercolours and tempera. Mary Swanzy said of her work: "she knows everything," a great compliment from such an artist. Amongst her friends were Mainie Jellett, by whom she was considerably influenced, and the Yeats sisters, Lily and Lolly, for whom she did a number of designs, for the Cuala and Clune Presses.

She exhibited widely, at the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Ulster Academy, the Ulster Women Artists' Group, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Watercolour Society of Ireland and the Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland. Examples of her work are in Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin.