'Public collections in Queensland have few outstanding examples of the work of our early artists. Of the major works dating from the nineteenth century, the 'Panorama of Brisbane', 1880 by Joseph Augustine Clarke (1840-1890), Queensland's first professional artist and art teacher, is undoubtedly the best known and most significant.' (Publication abstract)
'In 1912 the 24th Annual Exhibition by the Queensland Art Society (QAS) held in the Brisbane Town Hall prominently displayed major paintings by two promising younger generation artists: Gwendolyn Stanley's 'Softly awakes my heart: an impression of the Opera Sansone e Delila' and Vida Lahey's 'Monday morning'. Lahey and Stanley (soon to marry fellow artist WG Grant) were the women who contributed most to the development of painting in Brisbane in the first half of the twentieth century.' (Publication abstract)
'Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922) was a prolific artist, producing an estimated 3,000 paintings during her remarkable career. From 1912, in addition to her original paintings, Rowan's depictions of native Australian flora were reproduced by the highly regarded artists at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works in England. These were commissioned by Flavelle Brothers Ltd (1846-1920), one of Australia's leading jewellers and ceramic importers. The Brisbane branch of Flavelle Brothers Ltd. (established in 1861) became Flavelle, Roberts and Sankey Ltd in 1891 and continued in business until 1949. Royal Worcester wares decorated with Australian motifs are a significant focus of the Kennedy Collection which has been recently acquired by the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. This paper explores the association between the artist and the jewellers, and a further connection with the Queensland commercial artist, Douglas Annand.' (Publication abstract)
