Beatrix Charlotte Dobie (1887–1944) was a New Zealand landscape artist, most known for her illustrations in the work of conservationist Herbert Guthrie Smith. Dobie was born in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and Hikurangi Town counc ...

, New Zealand, in 1887. Her father was Herbert Boucher Dobbie, New Zealand amateur botanist and photographer, and her aunt was Mary Dobie. In 1911 she moved to London to study at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

, under

Henry Tonks Henry Tonks, FRCS (9 April 1862 – 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a caricaturist. He became an influential art teacher. He was one of the first British artis ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

she volunteered with her sister Agatha to become a British

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

VAD (a volunteer nurse aide) and was stationed in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and worked at a canteen near the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital near Codford, England. After the war she returned to live in New Zealand, exhibiting her work at the

Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery The Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery, was an art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It consisted of two buildings built in the late 1800s. The buildings were demolished in 2012 due to damage from the Canterbury earthqu ...

. During this period she met

Herbert Guthrie-Smith William Herbert Guthrie-Smith FRSNZ (13 March 1862 – 4 July 1940) was a New Zealand farmer, author and conservationist. Life William Herbert Smith was born in Helensburgh, Scotland in 1862. His father was an insurance broker. In 1880 he emi ...

and formed the connection that would lead to her providing the illustrations for his book ''Tutira: the story of a New Zealand sheep station.'' In 1926 she toured Africa where she met her future husband, Rene Vernon, an engineer in the French Army. They settled in Tunisia where Dobie continued to paint. She sent her artwork to be exhibited in the Empire Exhibition in 1937. She died in Tunisia in 1944. Her death was reported in New Zealand in the Auckland Star and Evening Post. The Post described her as a 'notable New Zealand artist' who had held 'an unusual and varied career.' She is known for her post-impressionist paintings of New Zealand landscapes and specifically, horses. Some of her work is held by the

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbie, Beatrix 20th-century New Zealand artists New Zealand women artists 1887 births 1944 deaths Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art People from Whangārei People associated with the Canterbury Society of Arts