Mary Anstie Overbury (c. 1851 – 27 March 1926), sometimes referred to as Mary Anne Overbury, was an artist and teacher of art in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

History

Overbury was born in

Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population as ...

, Oxfordshire, a daughter of Thomas Overbury, manager of the

Bliss Tweed Mill Bliss Tweed Mill is a former mill for the manufacture of tweed. It is located on the edge of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1980. The mill was built in 1872 for cloth manufacturer William ...

in that town. Her mother, Septima Overbury, née Bliss (c. 1818 – 25 August 1880), was a daughter of William Bliss, owner of the business. Thomas and Septima, with their two children Mary and Margaret, sailed for South Australia aboard the steamer ''Bosphorus'' arriving in Adelaide in June 1855 and settled at Thomas street,

Unley Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...

, their home for many years. Mary's mother had some artistic ability and Mary appears to have inherited her mother's love and aptitude for art, and was one of the early students of the School of Arts and Crafts founded by Charles Hill in 1861 and from 1882 run by

H. P. Gill Harry Pelling Gill (9 March 1855 – 25 May 1916), commonly referred to as H. P. Gill or Harry P. Gill, was an English-born Australian art curator, teacher and painter, who lived in Adelaide, South Australia for much of his life. Background Gi ...

. She was member, later a fellow, of the S.A. Society of Arts (Inc.). Between 1880 and 1890 she received several awards from entries submitted to the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

as modules towards a Master of Arts Certificate. After Gill's death Overbury established her own school at

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

. She taught at Tormore School. Overbury died age 71 after falling down stairs leading to the cellar of her home, Prescott Terrace, Rose Park, where she lived with her sister Margaret (died 1932), a school teacher who never married. Margaret Overbury was for six years a mistress at the school conducted by the Misses Kay (daughters of Robert Kay) at Trinity street, St Peters.

Works

*In March 1926 her design was accepted as the official seal of the

City of Unley The City of Unley is a local government area in the Adelaide metropolitan region. It is located directly south of the Adelaide city centre. The Corporate Town of Unley was created in 1871, when 2,000 signatories to a petition from residents of ...

. She was co-author (with

H. E. Fuller Henry Ernest Fuller (13 August 1867 – 18 February 1962), generally known as H. E. Fuller, was an architect, artist and art critic in South Australia. History Fuller was born in Adelaide, a son of Henry Robert Fuller (1825–1905), mayor of Ade ...

, and edited by Sir William Sowden) of
A History of the S.A. Society of Arts Inc. 1856–1931
'

Students

Among her students were: *Sir George Le Hunte, and his daughter Editha Rachel Le Hunte *

Harriet Stirling Harriet Adelaide Stirling (15 April 1878 – 19 May 1943) was a South Australian philanthropist. History Harriet was born in Great Cumberland street, London, the eldest daughter of Jane Stirling née Gilbert (1848–1936), and her husband Edward ...

, daughter of

E. C. Stirling Sir Edward Charles Stirling (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) was an Australian anthropology, anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide. Early life Stirling was born at "The Lodge" Strathalbyn, Sout ...

and a noted philanthropist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overbury, Mary Australian women artists Australian art teachers Australian designers 1851 births 1926 deaths