Eveline Annie Jenkins (July 1893 – 1976) was a British botanical artist and illustrator.
Biography
Jenkins was born in
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
, one of the three children of the civil servant William Herbert Jenkins and Eveline Jenkins. She was educated at
Newport Girls High School
Newport Girls' High School is an all-girls grammar school with academy status in Newport, Shropshire, England. The school was opened in the 1919 by a group of female governesses as a single-sex day school for local girls. The school is selec ...
and studied for a B.Sc. at the
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...
, while studying art in her own time. Jenkins took lessons at the Aberystwyth Art School during 1912 and 1913 and, in 1916, spent six weeks at the
Stanhope Forbes
Stanhope Alexander Forbes (18 November 1857 – 2 March 1947) was an Irish artist and a founding member of the influential Newlyn school of painters. He was often called 'the father of the Newlyn School'. In 1913, she won first prize at the
National Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
for her design for a public fountain. After she graduated, Jenkins worked as a teacher for six years, first in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
and then in Wales.
In 1927, Jenkins took the post of botanical artist with the
National Museum of Wales
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
, and she held that position until 1959. During that time, her illustrations featured in numerous books published by the museum, as well as publications and journals. These included the 1961 book ''Welsh Timber Trees'' by H. A. Hyde and A. E. Wade, and several works on fungi. Her work continues to feature in the museum's publications, for example the 2001 ''Catalogue of Botanical Plants and Drawings of the National Museum of Wales''. Jenkins was a member of the South Wales Art Society and her work featured in the 1955 touring exhibition of contemporary Welsh painting and sculpture organised by the
Arts Council of Wales
The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; ) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales.
Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts Council (), its English name w ...
. Examples of her work are held by the Contemporary Art Society of Wales and at
National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff (), formerly known as the National Museum of Wales, is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Entry is kept free by a grant from the Wel ...