Sara Wells Page (1855–1943) was a British artist, portrait and figurative painter, of the Victorian and Edwardian period. During her lifetime she was widely exhibited at Parisian salons and British galleries, including the

Royal Academy of Arts 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 ...

. Three of her paintings are in

Wolverhampton Art Gallery Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman (1825–1890), and built on land provided by the municipal aut ...

Early life

Sara Page was born in 1855 in Moxley, Staffordshire, the fourth of nine children to a successful timber merchant, Samuel Page and Sara Wells Page, whose father Thomas Wells (1804–1876) was a wealthy local Ironmaster. Sam Wells Page, Sara's brother, was official receiver for Wolverhampton and Walsall and a solicitor in the Midlands. Both parents died in the 1870s, leaving to their children a considerable fortune, which helped them to live independently. Between 1884 and 1891, Page studied drawing at Wolverhampton School of Art, and then studied the works of Renaissance masters in Italy. In 1892, after coming back from Italy, she exhibited at the

Royal Birmingham Society of Artists The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists or RBSA is an art society, based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, where it owns and operates an art gallery, the RBSA Gallery, on Brook Street, just off St Paul's Square. It is both a r ...

a painting ''Golden Venetian''.

Paris

Sara Page arrived to Paris in about 1892 and studied with

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

Tony Robert-Fleury Tony Robert-Fleury (1 September 18378 December 1911) was a French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. He was also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students. Biography He was born just outside Paris, and st ...

, and

Gabriel Ferrier Gabriel-Joseph-Marie-Augustin Ferrier (29 September 1847 in Nîmes – 6 June 1914 in Paris) was a French portrait painter and orientalist. Biography His father was a pharmacist. He began his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he worke ...

of the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number ...

. She exhibited at the 1893

Société des Artistes Français The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the ...

(SAF) exhibition. Page exhibited at the Société des Artistes Français, Paris Salon and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, which from 1892 through 1896 included portraits of members of her extended family. In the following years she continued to paint female portraits, such as: ''Beatrice'' (1899), ''Theodora'' (1903), ''Blondina'' (1914), ''Isobel'' (1915, 1916), ''Henriette'' (1935). Among other works, ''A Capri Maiden'' exhibited in Birmingham in 1894, and ''The Breton Peasant'' was shown in 1893–1894 at the

. She received a medal for portrait painting. In 1897 she settled in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

, a wealthy residential suburb of Paris with a strong artistic atmosphere, and maintained her own studio there. She took additional lessons from the well-established artists and leading exponents of the academic style

Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (7 January 1852 – 3 July 1929), was one of the leading French artists of the naturalist school. Biography He was born in Paris, the son of a tailor, and was raised by his grandfather after his father ...

and

Gustave-Claude-Etienne Courtois Gustave-Claude-Étienne Courtois, also known as Gustave Courtois (; 18 May 1852 in Pusey, Haute-Saône – 1923 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French painter, a representative of the academic style of art. Life Courtois was born 18 May 1852 i ...

who also lived in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and had their studio at 73, Boulevard Bineau. Her greatest success was the exhibiting the large-scale oil painting ''Andromeda'' at the

Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA; ; en, National Society of Fine Arts) was the term under which two groups of French artists united, the first for some exhibitions in the early 1860s, the second since 1890 for annual exhibitions. 1862 Es ...

(SNBA) in 1902. In 1904 lived in Paris at 16, Avenue Niel and was identified as a miniature painter. Both ''Le rocher qui pleure'' (The Weeping Rock), exhibited in 1910, and ''Le Baigneuse'' (The Bather), exhibited in 1911 and 1935, are similar to ''Andromeda'' in style, composition, and technique. As such, they can be seen as good examples of the French academic style of

Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

, Dagnan-Bouveret, and Courtois. From about 1909, Page studied with the miniature painter Gabrielle Debillemont-Chardon, the President of the Société des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs and of the Société des Miniaturistes et des Arts Precieux. In 1910, she participated in the exhibition of miniatures at the George Petit Gallery, showing a picture of Dutch children. Her miniature works exhibited in 1921 at the Gallerie Brunner, were favourably reviewed in the journal ''Revue moderne des arts and de la vie''. She exhibited at the Royal Academy, Walker Art Gallery, and Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. In 1926 she donated to Wolverhampton Art Gallery her 1902 painting ''Andromeda'', in appreciation for the drawing instruction she received at the Wolverhampton School of Art. It was previously exhibited at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial ar ...

and its image was printed in Wolverhampton's ''

Express & Star The ''Express & Star'' is a regional evening newspaper in Britain. Founded in 1889, it is based in Wolverhampton, England, and covers the West Midlands county and Staffordshire. Currently edited by Martin Wright, the ''Express & Star'' publish ...

'' in January 1928.

Later years

Page returned to England about 1934. Her last years were spent with her sister Elizabeth Page in Parkstone, Dorset, where she died in 1943. In the same year, her sister Elizabeth donated to Wolverhampton Art Gallery a small portrait ''The Princess'', in memory of her sister. The painting ''Whisper of Spring'' was given to the gallery in 1977. A few of her works are at the Poole Museum.

Legacy

Page is seen as a diligent artist who experimented with artistic techniques, followed established academic tradition, and was an exponent of the academic style in England. She did not develop a prominent professional career, but she was an example of a woman from the late 19th- and early 20th-century who sought and acquired education, self-expression and an independent career.

Works

She exhibited the following works of art: *''A Golden Venetian'', 1892 *''Une Reve'', 1892 *''Elsie'', 1892 *''Miss Ellen Wells'', 1893, private collection *''Portrait de Mlle E.P.'', 1893 *''Mada'', pastel, 1893 *''Une paysanne bretonne,'' pastel, 1893 *''A Capri Maiden'', watercolour, 1894 *''Study of Fruit'', oil, 1894 *''A Breton Peasant'', oil, 1894 *''Une reponse attendue'', 1894 *''Innocence'', 1895 *''Harmony in Blue'', 1896 *''Portrait de Mlle K…'', pastel, 1896 *''Juin'', pastel, 1896 *''La Marquise'', pastel, 1897 *''Beatrice'', pastel, 1897 *''Violettes'', 1900 *''The Princess'', painting, 1901, Wolverhampton Art Gallery *''Andromeda'', oil, 1902, Wolverhampton Art Gallery *Frame containing 2 miniatures *''La Bella'', drawing, 1902 *''Theodora'', 1903 *''The Lace Maker'', 1903 *''Reflection'', 1906 *''La Marquise'', drawing, 1906 *''Spring'', 1906 *''The Whisper of Spring'', oil, c. 1906–1910, Wolverhampton Art Gallery *''Le Rocher qui pleure'' (The Weeping Rock), oil, 1910 *''Le marquis'', drawing, 1910 *''The Dutch Children'', c. 1909 *''La Baugneuse'' (The Bather), oil, 1911 *''La faunesse'', drawing, 1911 *''La liseuse'' (Reading Woman), 1912 *''L'écharpe rose'' (The Rose Scarf), drawing, 1912 *''Jeune fille de France'', miniature, 1912 *''The Rose Scarf'', 1913 *''Louise'', miniature, 1914 *''Blondina'', 1914 *''Isobel'', 1915 *''A la fontaine'', 1920 *''L'Emir'', 1921 *''Le Bonnet blanc'', 1921 *''Charlotte'', 1921 *''La chale jaune'', miniature, 1925 *''Solitude'', miniature, 1925 *''Storm Clouds'', 1934

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Sara 1855 births 1943 deaths 19th-century English painters 20th-century English painters 19th-century English women artists 20th-century English women artists Académie Julian alumni English portrait painters English women painters People from Wolverhampton