Jane Maria Bowkett

Jane Maria Bowkett (1837–1891) was a British traditional Victorian genre painter who worked primarily in oils. Her work has been described as 'delightful, slightly naive pictures of women and children, either interiors, or often beach scenes'. She managed, however, to establish a successful career as a professional artist in a male dominated occupation. It has been suggested that in some paintings, she created scenes that were ambiguous by refusing to depict women as models of moral virtue, and depicting mothers and children as being content regardless of a male presence. It is also suggested that the painting Young Lady in a Conservatory makes social commentary on the moral restrictions placed upon women as the subject is seen in a small conservatory with minimal room to move.

Biography and career

Born in London, Jane Maria Bowkett was the eldest of thirteen siblings. Many of her sisters became artists as well. Her father, Thomas Bowkett, was a medical practitioner and was active in the Chartist Movement. In 1862 J. M. Bowkett married the artist Charles Stuart, but continued to sign her work using her maiden name.

When Bowkett was first training to paint she attended a government-run school of design in London. In 1860, she made her debut at the British Institution with Put your finger in the foxhole. This was sold for 3 guineas. Her last painting was exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy (The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington) in 1891. The price was £35. During the intervening years she exhibited over 120 paintings at these and many other galleries such as Society of British Artists (RBA), Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, Walker Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Royal Institute of Oil Painters. High prices could be achieved for her work; for instance, at the RBA in 1875 On the Sands at Shanklin, Isle of Wight sold for £157.10s. She also had four exhibits at the Royal Academy; one in 1861 (Preparing for dinner), two in 1881 (Ophelia and Four miles more) and one in 1882 (Sally in our Alley, etc.).

Feminist interpretation of Bowkett's work

An example of Bowkett's work which has been subject to feminist interpretation is Preparing Tea (or Time for tea as it had been retitled when sold for £2000 at Christie's South Kensington on 16 March 2011). This painting shows a woman, presumably a wife and mother, spreading jam on toast as she gazes out the window while one of her children is toasting bread by a fire and the other child is carrying a pair of men's slippers. It has been suggested that Bowkett leaves some ambiguity in the facial expression of the mother as she sees her husband's train approaching in the distance. And that this piece depicted the ability of women and children alike to be happy without having to rely on a male presence. It has been further suggested that this work depicts a sense of enclosure and makes social commentary about the moral restrictions set out for middle-class women at this time (1870-1880) and that the protruding stamens on the lily add a reference to a sexual awakening which ties back to the concepts of moral restrictions.

Notable works Young Lady in a Conservatory (1870-1880) Preparing for Dinner (1861) Preparing Tea (1860s) Folkestone Beach (1875) Girl at Well (c.1886) A Beach Scene (undated) Awfully Jolly Out of Reach Valuable Assistance

Gallery