Biography.guide
Home › People › Botanical illustrator › Cynthia Tait
Portrait of Cynthia Tait

Cynthia Tait

1894 – 1962

South African botanist

Botanical illustratorBotanist
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Cynthia Tait

Lived 1894 – 1962 (aged 67–68). Cynthia Tait was a South African botanical illustrator and botanist.

Lady Cynthia Tait (1894–1962), born Kate Cynthia Grenfell, was a proficient botanical illustrator, particularly of Southern African flowers. She was married to Admiral Sir William Eric Campbell Tait and during his prolonged absences found ample time to become interested in and paint wild flowers. After Campbell Tait's death in 1946 she was married to Lancelot Herbert Ussher of Luncarty, Claremont, Cape, South Africa.

She was the daughter of Capt. Hubert Henry Grenfell RN (1845–1906), an expert in naval gunnery and the inventor of several improvements in that field, and Eleanor Kate Cunningham (1852–1932). Tait's siblings were Florence Grenfell, Captain Francis Henry Grenfell, Huberta Grenfell, Agnes Margery Grenfell, Captain Russell Grenfell and Paula Stella Grenfell.

She and Campbell Tait had daughters who attended Blanchelande College in Guernsey, where she stayed on occasion when her husband was posted to the Far East.

She also spent time in South Africa, and in Rhodesia when her husband was governor there. Her paintings were inherited by her granddaughter, Cynthia Cormack, who only recently disclosed their whereabouts.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1894
Birth century
Died
1962
Occupation
Botanical illustrator, botanist
Nationality

People in Cynthia Tait's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Cynthia Tait's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Cynthia Tait?

South African botanist

When was Cynthia Tait born?

Cynthia Tait was born in 1894.

When did Cynthia Tait die?

Cynthia Tait died in 1962.

What was Cynthia Tait's occupation?

Cynthia Tait was a botanical illustrator and botanist.

What nationality was Cynthia Tait?

Cynthia Tait was South African.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Cynthia Tait

· Wikidata: Q55979178

· DBpedia: Cynthia Tait

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Cynthia Tait. https://biography.guide/cynthia-tait/

MLA: "Cynthia Tait." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/cynthia-tait/.

Chicago: "Cynthia Tait." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/cynthia-tait/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:02 UTC