Helen Mabel Trevor, Irish, 1831-1900
Title: Self-Portrait
Date: 1890s
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
66 x 55 cm
Credit Line: Presented, 1900
Object Number: NGI.502
DescriptionHelen Mabel Trevor showed an early interest in and talent for art. However she did not begin her studies at the Royal Academy in London until the 1870s, after the death of her parents. She also attended the Académie Julian in Paris. She travelled to Brittany, Normandy and beyond, and kept a skilfully illustrated journal on her travels. Her oeuvre included both portraits and genre scenes. Based in Paris from 1889 to 1900, Trevor exhibited regularly at the Salon. In the early 1890s she returned to Brittany with her sister, and continued to paint local characters and scenes. She presents herself here as a confident and mature artist at the height of her powers, wearing a typical cap, scarf and smock, and holding a palette.
Label TextThough Trevor displayed artistic talent in her youth, it was not until she reached her forties that she committed herself fully to the discipline of painting. She studied in London and the Académie Julian in Paris before travelling to Brittany and Normandy in 1881, where she painted portraits and genres scenes. She returned to France with her sister in the 1890s. She kept an illustrated journal, and embraced the image and lifestyle of the artist. She presents herself here as a confident practitioner, wearing an artist’s smock, soft cap and scarf and holding her easel.