Mary's Art

It's been a sad time lately. Jack's Dad passed away on 10 September. John was a very special man and we'll miss him very much. 

I've shown you a number of items from the Ross family archive over the past few years, and today I thought it might be nice to share some images from the school art portfolio belonging to John's Scottish mother, Mary Maclean. The charming photo above was among the items in the portfolio, so I assume it is a photo of Mary aged about eleven or twelve. 

The portfolio is linen bound with fabric ties and Mary's name has been stencilled on the cover with a decorative surround. The original stencil was inside the portfolio (dated 1915).

The portfolio contains the sort of images one might expect of a well brought up young lady at the beginning of the 20th century: figure studies derived from statues; studies from nature; still-lives; self-portraits and sketches of family members, and calligraphy samples. Here is a selection of images:

PORTRAITS & SELF PORTRAITS

STUDIES FROM NATURE

STILL LIFE

FIGURE STUDIES

CALLIGRAPHY

What a pleasure it is to be able to look at such a beautiful art portfolio from days gone by. Unlike the poem that Mary carefully transcribed, archives like this don't just vanish like a snowflake on a river, but continue to bring joy to the next generation and beyond.