Isabella Mary Abbott (December 23, 1890 – November 26, 1955) was a Canadian artist and the mother of actor

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

Life

Abbott was born in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, the daughter of Marianne J. (née Campbell) and Arthur Edward Abbott, and the granddaughter of Prime Minister Sir

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbo ...

. She exhibited with the

Art Association of Montreal The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

before showing her work with the

Royal Canadian Academy The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

in 1922 and 1923. Abbott served as a volunteer nurse in France during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She worked with the

Canadian Handicrafts Guild The Canadian Handicrafts Guild (now known as La Guilde) was an association of Canadians involved in handicrafts that was founded in Montreal in 1906. At first the goal was to preserve and market traditional home crafts that were seen as being at ri ...

as the secretary-treasurer from 1924 until February 1929. Abbott was also secretary to the dean of Sciences at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. Abbott returned to work with the Guild in the 1950s, working until her death in 1955.

Family

She married John Orme Plummer (1894–1977) in Quebec City in February 1929. The couple had separated by the end of the year. Their only child, actor Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer, was born on December 13 of that year, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Isabella Mary 1890 births 1955 deaths Canadian watercolourists Artists from Montreal 20th-century Canadian women artists Canadian women watercolourists Canadian expatriates in France 20th-century Canadian painters