Margaret Elvire Forrest, Lady Forrest (née Hamersley; 22 October 1844 – 13 June 1929 in Picton, Bunbury) was the wife of Sir John Forrest.

Personal life

Born in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, she was a member of the prominent and wealthy

Hamersley family The Hamersley family were a wealthy and well-connected family of early settlers in the colony of Western Australia. Members of the Hamersley family emigrated to Western Australia from England in 1837. Prominent members and connections of the fa ...

; her father was Edward Hamersley (Senior), and amongst her brothers were Edward Hamersley (Junior) and

Samuel Hamersley Samuel Richard Hamersley (1842–1896) was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for six years. Biography Early life Samuel Hamersley was born in Guildford, Western Australia on 12 Octobe ...

. She married Forrest in 1876 and enjoyed many years in public life, as John Forrest became the first

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

, and later a federal politician. Their family residence was ''The Bungalow'' at 870 Hay Street, Perth.

Botanical painting

Lady Forrest had a great interest in fine arts. She had an interest in native plants, and was an accomplished painter of wildflowers. As a prominent member of the colony well known for her interest in natural history and art, Lady Forrest was a contact for visiting botanists and botanical artists. In January 1880

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

botanical artist Marianne North visited

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Throughout her time in Perth, North was supplied with various local botanical specimens by Lady Forrest. During her stay they received word that the rare and spectacular ''

Eucalyptus macrocarpa ''Eucalyptus macrocarpa'', commonly known as mottlecah, is a species of mallee that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, usually sessile, heart-shaped adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, large red flowers a ...

'' was flowering at Newcastle (now Toodyay). Lady Forrest and North took the eight hour journey on horseback to see the flowering plant, which was "well worth coming for". In September 1889

Ellis Rowan Marian Ellis Rowan (30 July 18484 October 1922), known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian artist and botanical illustrator. She also did a series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects. Life Marian, the daughter of Maria ...

joined Margaret Forrest in a painting tour. At Boolantha Station, north of Carnarvon, and

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, they painted desert flowers. Their joint exhibition at the

Perth Railway Station Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport, Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland ...

Reading Room on 5 November is thought to have been the first art exhibition ever held in the colony. She was a founding member of the Wilgie Club, the first artists' society in

, and exhibited six wildflower watercolours in the Wilgie First Annual Exhibition of Paintings in 1890. Forrest was also a founding member of the

Karrakatta Club The Karrakatta Club is a female-only women's club in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia. History The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of the St George Reading Circle. The St G ...

, the first women's club in Australia. After her death in 1929, her collection was bequeathed to the

Art Gallery of Western Australia The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

Legacy

In Western Australia, Mt Margaret and Mt Elvire, between Laverton and Leonora; and

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. ...

and Elvire River in the Kimberley region were named after her.

Personal life

Botanical painting

Legacy

References

See also