I used many of the studies made there [the Netherlands] as motives for dry-point etchings, which I executed after my return to London, and which won me my admission to the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers. This was a branch of art of which I was intensely fond, and one of the few modes of expression which I could pursue more easily in London than elsewhere. Afterwards, when I had settled in Cornwall, the difficulty of having my plates printed, more especially of having the trial proofs pulled while actually at work, proved too discouraging, and gradu¬ ally, to my regret, I found myself compelled to lay aside my etching tools, and I ceased to contribute work to the society to which I had felt it such an honour to belong. — Elizabeth Adela Forbes, quoted in Birch, pp. 66-67.
In the etchings, we find singular technical skill, a loyal obedience to the best conventions of the art, and effects achieved directly and simply, as Rembrandt himself set about it. Nor is this result gained by modelling her style directly upon the works of any past or present master. — E.B.S., p. 191.
... when, in the spring of 1898, Mr. Forbes exhibited in London his great fresco destined for the Royal Exchange, Mrs. Forbes took the opportunity of showing such of the illustrations as were already finished to a few artist friends, among whom were some members of the Royal Water Colour Society. Upon their suggestion and, indeed, in response to their expressed wish, Mrs. Forbes submitted the portfolio of drawings at the next meeting of this society, and was at once elected an Associate. — Mrs Lionel Birch, p. 74
Watercolours
- For Myles Had Grown A Man, / With a Man's Thoughts And Desires (charcoal and watercolour)
- Here We Come Gathering Nuts in May (chalk, watercolour and bodycolour)
- Midday Rest (charcoal, watercolour, gouache and oil on paper)
Etchings, Charcoal and pastel drawings etc.
Related Material
Bibliography
Birch, Mrs Lionel. Stanhope A. Forbes, ARA, and Elizabeth Stanhope Forbes, ARWS. London: Cassell, 1906. Internet Archive. Contributed by the Kahl/Austin Foundation. Web. 28 February 2021.
E. B. S. "The Paintings and Etchings of Mrs. Stanhope Forbes." The Studio 4 (1894-95). No. 24 (15 March 1895): 186-192. Hathi Trust. From a copy in the University of California Libraries. Web. 28 February 2021.
Heller, Jules, and Nancy G. Heller. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. New York and Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge, 2013.
Created 5 March 2021