Margaret Mary Butler (30 April 1883 – 4 December 1947) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

sculptor and artist and is regarded as the first New Zealand born sculptor of substance.

Early life and education

She was born in Greymouth,

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, New Zealand on 30 April 1883, to Edward Butler, Grey County engineer, and his wife Mary Delaney. She attended

St Mary's College, Wellington St Mary's College Wellington is situated in the suburb of Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. The school is a state-integrated all-girls Catholic secondary school for years 9–13. History The school, which is one of the oldest existing scho ...

and then at Wellington Technical School

Work

Butler's works were feature at the National Centennial Exhibition of New Zealand in 1940 and the largest collection of her work is held by Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand.Mark Stocker, "Margaret Butler: An Invisible Sculptor?", Te Papa Tongarewa
(Retrieved 16 July 2022)

Death

Margaret Butler died in Wellington of cancer on 4 December 1947. Prime minister,

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

and the Catholic archbishop of Wellington, Thomas O'Shea were attendees at her funeral.

References

1883 births 1947 deaths 20th-century New Zealand sculptors 20th-century New Zealand women artists People from Greymouth People educated at St Mary's College, Wellington {{Oceania-sculptor-stub