Myra Kathleen Hughes (9 September 1877 – 21 August 1918) was an Irish artist and etcher, best known for her series ''Vanishing London''.

Early life

Myra Kathleen Hughes was born in Polehore,

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

on 9 September 1877. She came from a wealthy military family. Her father was Sir Frederick Hughes of Rosslare Fort and Barntown House who served in the 7th Madras Light Cavalry. She had 2 brothers and 4 sisters. She attended the

Westminster School of Art The Westminster School of Art was an art school in Westminster, London. History The Westminster School of Art was located at 18 Tufton Street, Deans Yard, Westminster, and was part of the old Royal Architectural Museum. H. M. Bateman described ...

, going on to study etching and engraving under

Frank Short Sir Francis Job "Frank" Short PPRE (19 June 1857 – 22 April 1945) was a British printmaker and teacher of printmaking. He revived the practices of mezzotint and pure aquatint, while expanding the expressive power of line in drypoint, etc ...

and

Constance Mary Pott Constance Mary Pott (22 January 1862 – 18 January 1957National Probate Calendar, 1957.), Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, RE, was an English Printmaking, printmaker and teacher active during the late nineteenth century and the twentieth ce ...

at 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 ...

in London, living the rest of her life in London.

Professional career

She was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers and Engravers in 1911, making her one of only 35 women in the 258 membership. She later served as president of the society. She exhibited with the Royal Society of Painter Etchers and Engravers as well as the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

and the Dudley Galleries, the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

, the

Watercolour Society of Ireland Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) is a watercolour society in Ireland, founded in 1870. The Society held its first exhibition in the Courthouse, Lismore, County Waterford in May 1871. History The ''Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI)'' w ...

and the Dublin Sketching Club. She was considered one of the leading artists of the British

Etching revival The etching revival was the re-emergence and invigoration of etching as an original form of printmaking during the period approximately from 1850 to 1930. The main centres were France, Britain and the United States, but other countries, such as t ...

. Hughes's work focused on ''

en plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

'' studies of both natural and urban landscapes. One of her most popular series was ''Vanishing London'', which were etchings of London landmark buildings she captured before they were demolished. She is considered to be an accomplished draughtsman, and was one of a small number or artists who experimented with colour printing at the turn of the 20th century. In 1917, she travelled to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, writing and illustrating the book, ''Impressions of Palestine''. She contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

there, from which she died at

Hindhead Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England. It is the highest village in Surrey, with buildings at between 185 and 253 metres above sea level. It is best known as the location of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a beauty spot and site of special scientific ...

, Surrey on 21 August 1918.

Legacy

The

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

holds the largest collection of her prints, which were donated after her death by her family through Mary C. Hamilton. The

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

holds two prints by Hughes, one of which depicts College Green, Dublin.

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

holds a series of 5 etchings by Hughes which depict the College grounds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Myra Kathleen 1877 births 1918 deaths People from County Wexford 20th-century Irish women artists 20th-century printmakers Alumni of the Royal College of Art Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom