Janie Wilkinson Whyte (1869–1953) was an Australian impressionist artist and part of the first wave of feminist artists in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Biography

Janie Wilkinson Whyte - Canterbury bell flowers

Whyte was a painter, etcher, and wood-carver who studied at the

National Gallery School The National Gallery of Victoria Art School, associated with the National Gallery of Victoria, was a private fine arts college founded in 1867 and was Australia's leading art school of 50 years. It is also referred to as the 'National Gallery S ...

from 1890–1895 and together with

Dora Wilson Dora Lynnell Wilson (31 August 1883 – 21 November 1946) was a British-born Australian artist, best known in her adopted country of Australia for her etchings and street scenes. Early life Dora Lynnell Wilson was born on 31 August 1883 in New ...

and Jessie Traill took lessons in etching from John Mather. Their etchings were published in ''The Lone Hand'' in 1907 as some of the earliest works in this field made by women. Whyte was an impressionist artist who painted portraits, figure studies, and landscapes, and was one of the first

women to paint dockyard scenes. She also painted interiors and flowers, and worked with oils, watercolours, and pastels. Her cityscapes contained charming observations of Melbourne life. Whyte taught at the Sydenham College and Ipswich Girls Grammar School. Whyte showed with the

Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known as ...

in the 1920s. As part of a first wave of feminist artists in Melbourne, Whyte presented a paper at women's cultural group the

Austral Salon The Austral Salon of Music, Literature and the Fine Arts also known as the Austral Salon is a club that was established for women interested in the fine arts in Melbourne. Establishment The Austral Salon was founded in January 1890 by female jour ...

along with

Violet Teague Violet Helen Evangeline Teague (21 February 1872 – 30 September 1951) was an Australian artist, noted for her painting, printmaking and her critical writings on art. Early life and training The only daughter of Melbourne homeopath James Te ...

in August 1907. While a copy of her lecture was not archived it is said she discussed the struggle for Australian women artists to get recognition. Whyte died on 7 April 1953 at her home in Canterbury, Victoria, and was cremated. She was survived by a sister and numerous nieces and nephews.

References

External links

Janie Wilkinson Whyte
Australian art and artists file, ''

State Library Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...

''
Janie Wilkinson Whyte : work old and new
(Athenaeum, Sept 17–28, 1935) digitised item, ''

'' {{Authority control Australian artists 1869 births 1953 deaths