Marjorie Frances Bruford known as Midge Bruford (9 April 1902 – 1958) was a British artist associated with the

Newlyn School The Newlyn School was an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall, from the 1880s until the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was reminis ...

of artists. Although born in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, Bruford was an active participant in several of the artist groups based in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

throughout her adult life.

Biography

Bruford was born in

and attended

Badminton School Badminton School is an independent, boarding and day school for girls aged 3 to 18 years situated in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, England. Named after Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol, where it was founded, the school has been located at its ...

in the Clifton area of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. There she became friends with Mornie Birch, one of the daughters of the Cornwall artist

Lamorna Birch Samuel John "Lamorna" Birch, RA, RWS (7 June 1869 – 7 January 1955) was an English artist in oils and watercolours. At the suggestion of fellow artist Stanhope Forbes, Birch adopted the ''soubriquet'' "Lamorna" to distinguish himself from ...

. This connection led Bruford to taking art classes at Forbes School of Painting in

Newlyn Newlyn ( kw, Lulyn: Lu 'fleet', Lynn/Lydn 'pool') is a seaside town and fishing port (the largest fishing port in England) in south-west Cornwall, UK.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Newlyn lies on the shore of Moun ...

during the 1920s. Later, Bruford took art lessons from other artists based in Newlyn, including Ernest Procter and Harold Harvey, and also studied under Lamorna Birch in the 1930s. For a time Bruford lived at Treveneth, near

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, before spending time studying in Paris and later lived in a cottage between Paul and

Mousehole Mousehole (; kw, Porthenys) is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, England, UK. It is approximately south of Penzance on the shore of Mount's Bay. The village is in the civil parish of Penzance. An islet called St Clement's Isle lies ...

. Bruford mainly painted portraits and landscapes and was the subject of several portraits by

Dod Proctor Dod Procter, born Doris Margaret Shaw, (1890–1972) was an English artist, and the wife of the artist Ernest Procter. Her painting ''Morning'' was bought for the public by the ''Daily Mail'' in 1927. Procter and her husband attended art s ...

. Bruford and the Cornish artist Richard Weatherby (1881–1953) lived together at Mullion Cove in the late 1920s but although at one point they were engaged they never married. During her artistic career Bruford exhibited at the

Newlyn Art Gallery Newlyn Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. Opened in 1895, designed by James Hicks of Redruth and financed by John Passmore Edwards the gallery was conceived as a home and exhibition venue for the Newlyn ...

during the 1920s, at the

Goupil Gallery Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

in London, the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

in Liverpool, with the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...

and the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and ...

. Bruford was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy, in total having some thirty-two works accepted for display there between 1924 and 1955.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruford, Marjorie Frances 1902 births 1958 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists Painters from Cornwall Newlyn School of Artists People educated at Badminton School People from Eastbourne People from Newlyn