painter, was born and lived most of her life in Nowra (New South Wales). Crippled from youth, she was sent by her father to live for a time in King Street, Sydney, so that she could manage daily classes at Julian Ashton 's Sydney Art School on crutches. As with many other favourite women students, Ashton painted her portrait (dated Christmas 1893, oil on wood panel, purchased from Sotheby’s in 1988 by Westfarmers Western Australia). Although best known for her still-life work, Margaret Fleming also painted portraits (e.g. Dr Hodgkinson as a boy, for his mother) as well as genre studies (e.g. Country Visitors c.1894).
Fleming exhibited with the New South Wales Art Society in 1893-94 and was included in the first exhibition of the Society of Artists in 1895. She gave her younger sister, Annie (later McIlwraith, 1888-1969), her first painting lessons before Annie too went to Ashton’s, and probably taught art to other young women of the Nowra region.
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- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
Note:
- Date written:
- 1995
- Last updated:
- 1992
