Amelia Jane Murray (1800–1896) or Lady Oswald, was a Victorian fairy artist from the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. Her

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

paintings depicted fairies and flowers and were inspired by the

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

of the island. She was the daughter of

Lord Henry Murray Lord Henry Murray (13 June 1767 – 3 December 1805) was a soldier and administrator who served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. Career Born the fourth son of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, Henry Murray was appointed Co ...

and the niece of John Murray who was the 4th

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of ...

Biography

Amelia Jane Murray was born in Port-e-Chee, which means 'Fairy Music' in Manx

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

. Growing up, Murray lived in Mount Murray, her family's home which was five miles from

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

. Murray's fairy paintings were inspired by the rich folklore of the Isle of Man and many of them had embossed borders. They date to the early 1820s and the watercolor pictures suggest that Murray had significant knowledge of the flora and fauna. They are often based on

Manx folklore The culture of the Isle of Man is influenced by its Celtic and, to a lesser extent, its Norsemen, Norse origins, though its close proximity to the United Kingdom, popularity as a UK tourist destination, and recent mass immigration by British migr ...

and depict delicate fairies in the natural beauty of the landscape. In 1829, she married Sir John Oswald of Dunniker, who was twenty-nine years older than she. They moved to

Fife, Scotland Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i. ...

where she looked after his six children from his previous marriage, as well as their own two. Murray's paintings of fairies were later published for the first time in 1985, in a book called, ''A Regency Lady’s Fairy Bower''.Murray, Amelia Jane. ''A Regency Lady's Faery Bower''. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Amelia Jane 19th-century British women artists 1800 births 1896 deaths