painter and teacher, was the widow of a British Army officer. Dixson erroneously states that her husband was William Harvey Christie, postmaster-general of New South Wales, but he may have been her brother-in-law. She came to Sydney before 1842 and had acquired some artistic training, probably in Paris. In 1842 she became the proprietor of a seminary for young ladies in Hunter Street. Her school, which took both boarders and day pupils, offered classes in various subjects, including drawing and painting. It continued to operate at various addresses in the city until 1850. Later she concentrated on painting and drawing classes only. An advertisement inserted in the Sydney Morning Herald on 21 December 1857 offered 'Afternoon Instruction in Flower Painting from Nature, Crayon Painting, Drawing in Chalk and Pencil … at her house, 234 Castlereagh Street’.
Christie showed one work, Group of Flowers , at the 1847 exhibition of the Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Australia and six portraits, all sale works, at the society’s second exhibition in 1849. Titles include Portrait of Miss L.C. (probably Louise Christie ), La Petite Coquette and La Filatrice Italiana . According to the Sydney Morning Herald of 16 June 1849, the latter were 'two pleasing copies, rather too gaudy in colour to suit our sober tastes’. In March 1850 she participated in Grocott’s first art union, being awarded prizes for the 'best crayon drawing’ and the 'best production of Australian flowers (watercolours)’, the latter a category for women only with women judges. Another crayon drawing, A Head , was included in Grocott’s third art union in July.
Mrs Christie was a member of the short-lived Australian Artists’ Society in 1850, being admitted with W. Hetzer and W. Griffith . Her only known surviving work is an attributed Pyrmont view of 1859 signed 'Christie’ .
- Writers:
- McDonald, Patricia R.
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
