Ellen Agnes Neame (formerly Sarjeant, nee Stewart; 18 June 1868 - 22 September 1939) was an artist, curator, registrar and philanthropist based in

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

, New Zealand who was instrumental in the forming of the

Sarjeant Gallery The Sarjeant Gallery at Pukenamu, Queen's Park Whanganui is a regional art museum with a collection of international and New Zealand art. It was closed for 10 years for redevelopment and re-opened on Saturday 9 November 2024. In 2024 it was anno ...

(now known as Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery). She is most well known as Ellen Sarjeant after the legacy of the gallery.

Biography

Sarjeant was born Ellen Stewart in 1868 in Foxton, New Zealand, the eldest daughter of married couple

John Tiffin Stewart John Tiffin Stewart (18 November 1827 – 19 April 1913) was a notable New Zealand civil engineer and surveyor and mapper. He was born in Rothesay, Bute, Scotland, in 1827 and was married to the social activist Frances Stewart. He is the fa ...

and Frances Ann Carkeek. Her mother was a social activist. Her father was born in Rothesay, Scotland and was a civil engineer. One of his friends was

Henry Sarjeant Henry Sarjeant (1829–1912) was a New Zealand farmer and benefactor. He was born in Rangeworthy, Gloucestershire, England in 1829. He married Ellen Stewart on 11 February 1893. She was the daughter of John Tiffin Stewart and Frances Ann Ste ...

. On 11 February 1893, Ellen Stewart married Henry Sarjeant at Christ Church on Victoria Avenue in Whanganui. He was almost 40 years her senior - she was 22 and he was 63. Henry Sarjeant designed their city house The Loggia, 47 Bell Street, Whanganui based on an Italian villa they stayed at during their two-year honeymoon around Europe. Ellen Neame - A Street in San Remo - Sarjeant Gallery

Ellen Neame - A Street in San Remo - Sarjeant Gallery

Ellen Sarjeant was a founding committee member of the

Wanganui Arts and Crafts Society Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

established in 1901. Her father was also a founding member, serving as vice president. The Society held exhibitions of artwork, and also collected artwork. Its first purchase was by C. F. Goldie. Henry Sarjeant died on 12 February 1912, and in his will bequeathed funds to the Wanganui Borough Council to enable the building of the Sarjeant Gallery and fund its collections. Ellen Sarjeant played a pivotal role in the early administration of the gallery and the acquisition of art for its collection. After Henry Sarjeant died, Ellen Sarjeant married John Armstrong Neame in April 1913, changing her surname to Neame. Sarjeant / Neame was an artist, with some of her sketches shown at the third annual exhibition of the Wanganui Society of Arts and Crafts in 1904. Her art included watercolour landscapes and small flower paintings. She was exhibited at Walker's Galleries in New Bond Street, London in 1935. Ellen Neame travelled extensively in Europe, painting and studying art, and lived in Italy for a time. She died in London on 22 September 1939. In Whanganui, the flag on the City Council offices was flown at half-mast as a mark of respect for Neame's contribution to the city.

References

1868 births 1939 deaths 19th-century New Zealand artists New Zealand philanthropists {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarjeant, Ellen New Zealand people of Scottish descent People from Foxton, New Zealand Carkeek family