The Painting
A watercolour measuring 12" x 9". Signed Beatrice Parsons and dated 1939.
About the Artist
Beatrice Parsons (1870-1955) was one of England’s most notable garden painters. She
studied at the Royal Academy Schools and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1889-99.
Around 1900, she began to paint garden subjects. Her first one-woman exhibition at
Dowdeswell’s Gallery in 1904 was a near sell-out, securing her career as a professional
garden artist. She painted in England, Europe and Africa, recording the gardens of
grand country houses alongside those of suburban homes in the London area. Her clients
were mainly the creators of new gardens rather than the owners of old ones. She liked
to paint borders and flower gardens in the full glory of their summer colours, and
her watercolours are a wonderful source of information about Edwardian planting.
She also specialised in painting the spring gardens of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset,
with trees in blossom and spring bulbs. Beatrice Parsons lived in Oxhey, Hertfordshire
where she had her studio.
The Subject
The Rose Garden.
