flower painter, was the second wife of the soldier and scientist Sir John Henry Lefroy. An Album of Lady Lefroy’s watercolours of Bermuda (1871-77) was sold at Sotheby’s on 8 November 1985, lot 227. Sir John was Administrator of Tasmania from August 1880 to November 1881.
Lady Lefroy made excellent watercolour over pencil paintings, some heightened with white and mostly on tinted paper, of flowers in Tasmania and en route to England. A volume of 63 Australian Flowers (chiefly Tasmanian) were offered at Sotheby’s London auction of Topographical Paintings Watercolours and Drawings on 27 May 1988. Included were watercolours of 'Tecoma Australiensis, Sparmania, Cantuar, Anpotera Glandulosus, Warakah, Lopto Spermum Tensis, Edwardsia Microphillea, Bellenena Montana, Calathamnus Clavatus, Wigandia Caracassana, Sachrona Tubiflora, Electron Epeclsum, Paulonia, Lagunea Patersoni, Tasmanian Lilac, Comesperma Volubile, E. Obliqua (stringy bark), Eucalyptus Cordalum, Eucalyptus Pressei, Eucalyptus Globulus, Eucalyptus Callophylla, Acacia Melanoxylon, Acacia Dealbata – Wattle, Volanum, Mandevillea, Bellendana Boovyalla, Hardenbergia Digittala, Pittas Procrum, Strut Pea, Witheringia, Sterculia Diversifolia, Jacaranda, Nuytsia Floribunda, Kennedisa Prostata, South Australian Bigonia, Brugfelsia, thambergia, Gloriosa Superba, Ipomea Violacia, Amherstea Nobilio, Tea Plant, Cinchona Robusta and Benthamia Fragifera’.
Two are initialled 'CAL’, most are inscribed with a botanical name (as above), thirty-nine are dated from 1880 to June 1885. Five watercolours, 'Gloriora superba, Ceylon 8 2/82’ (ill. in colour cat.8), 'Cantuax [sic] Aug 81’, 'Banksia seriata, Tasmania, 24 3/81’, 'Edwardsia micioflidea, Gross Cornwall at Gross Hall, Falsmouth, Oct.81’ and untitled, were offered by Spinks, London at Sotheby’s 'The Colonial Sale’, Hobart, 7 September 1997, cats 8-12.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
