Kerr, Louisa, Lady (SCC Newsletter April 2012)

LADY LETITIA LOUISA KERR. b. 1800 - d. 1885.

AN ARISTOCRATIC AMATEUR SILHOUETTE ARTIST,

GIFTED & METICULOUS.

Was she the forerunner of the present-day function 'cutters'?

INTRODUCTION.

It is unlikely that Lady Louisa Kerr (as she became known) ever worked for a living and it is equally unlikely that she ever earned a penny for any of the silhouettes that she cut or painted. However, she regularly produced silhouettes of her family and their friends and acquaintances for most of her adult life. Many of her 'sitters' were titled and well connected. Both her parents came from well-established aristocratic families and knew many of the distinguished people of the day. Lady Louisa was meticulous in the recording of her sitter's details on either the obverse or the reverse of her work—this has made the attribution of her work an easy task. Her full-length figures with their evocative painted backgrounds are her trade mark and have been sought for years by serious collectors.

Since the publication of Mrs. McKechnie's Book more information has become available about her personal life and that of her family—which I have included in this article. Whilst not in any sense a major silhouette artist nevertheless she was gifted artistically and at the same time was fortunate to have the means and the time to make her unique contribution to the art of silhouette in the nineteenth century.

Above I have illustrated the only full-length work that I know of. It is of Helen, Lady Dufferin & Clandeboye playing the piano—it is dated 1847.

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FAMILY HISTORY.

Louisa was the eldest daughter and the eldest child of her parents. Her father was Lord Mark Robert Kerr (1776 —1840) - he was the third son of the Marquis of Lothian. Her mother was Charlotte MacDonnell (1779 —1835) - she was the younger daughter of the Earl of Antrim, a title in the peerage of Ireland that had originated in the 1620's. She became the Countess of Antrim after the death of her elder sister as her parents did not have a son.

Lord Mark Kerr was in the Royal Navy and finally attained the rank of Vice-Admiral. He was a gifted amateur artist—painting watercolour landscapes as well as producing caricature drawings illustrating such subjects as "Faithfulness", "Courtship" and one entitled "The bird that can sing & won't sing"! Also, he assembled travel albums containing his sketches as well as those of his friends and relatives.

Louisa had seven brothers—although three died when very young and another died in his early twenties. However, two brothers outlived their parents—both inheriting the title of Earl of Antrim. Hugh Seymour MacDonnell became the 4th. Earl (1812-1855) and Capt. Mark MacDonnell became the 5th. Earl (1814-1869). Both had changed their surname to MacDonnell—their mother's family name. The title exists today as well as the family home Glenann Castle on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The title had had it's up and downs over the years and had ‘died out' on two occasions

Also, Louisa had five sisters, who al seemed to have lived to a fair age, it is noted that one sister was born at Apsley House, the London home of the Duke of Wellington. Two sisters married clergymen and two other sisters married titled gentlemen. It is of interest that one of their mother's nieces —Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest married the 3rd. Marquis of Londonderry—she was the great grandmother of Winston Churchill. It is clear that the family on both sides had many connections with other members of the aristocracy living at the time—as well as the famous of the time, such as the Duke of Wellington. They regularly travelled abroad and no doubt had well-connected contacts on the continent of Europe as their travel albums indicate.

On the left above is Miss Louisa Kerr and on the right is Miss Lucy Kerr—both were cut in Edinburgh on August 13th 1837. The former was described as being of the artist by an auction house, but not in my view as she would have been thirty-seven at the time and would not have been referred to as `Miss'. In the centre is Alexander N. MacDonnell taken in 1845 and a relative on her mother's side.

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PERSONAL HISTORY.

Louisa was born in London on 5th. May, 1800 and baptised in July at St. Mary's Church, Marylebone. Interestingly she was named Letitia Margaret, but later changed her name to Letitia Louisa. It seems likely that she lived with her parents until their deaths in 1835 & 1840. We know that she was travelling abroad at the time of the 1841 Census and similarly during the time of the 1851 Census. We know this as she produced travel albums for these visits, which were sold at Duke's Auctioneers in Dorchester in March 1983. On these trips she visited many towns and cities in France and Italy. In addition, the National Library of Ireland has several of her sketch books covering locations in Ireland, Scotland & Cumbria during the period 1840-1850. It seems that she spent a lot of time away from home during these years and it is likely that it was her great opportunity to travel after the death of her parents.

By the 1861 Census Louisa was living at 6, Belvedere Terrace in Brighton with a lady's maid, cook and housemaid. The Terrace was built in 1852—a part is illustrated below but the houses have since been re-numbered. It is possible that she lived there soon after the houses were built. At the 1871 Census she was still living at the same address but on 2nd. September 1871 she was married to Capt. Cortlandt George MacGregor Skinner at St. Nicholas Church in Brighton. He was a widower and a retired captain of the 1st. Dragoon Guards. He was two years older than Louisa and had several adult children from an earlier marriage. He seems to have died between 1871 & 1881 as he does not appear in the 1881 Census, when Louisa is described as a widow. Also, by then she had moved to 29, Cambridge Road in Hove and was living there with a housekeeper, cook, housemaid, under-maid and a footboy. Below is a photo of the house. She seems to have lived at this address until her death on 5th. January 1885 at the age of eighty-four years.

There is no evidence that she went to school—she is likely to have been educated at home with her sister siblings. Clearly she had artistic talents from an early age and we know that she was producing competent watercolours of scenes around her as early as 1821 and probably earlier. Also, she copied the work of well-known artists, which I will mention later. Her life would appear to have been a leisured one with no expectation that she would do any housework or cook and certainly not earn her living, but nevertheless I think she was an active person who would not have been content just to sit around looking decorative!

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HER SILHOUETTE CAREER.

Since the publication of Mrs. McKechnie's Book a number of works by Louisa Kerr have turned up in the Salerooms—and we know from these that she was at least cutting silhouettes as early as 1818, when she was 18 years old, Also, we know that she was cutting silhouettes as late as 1868. As mentioned she is a 'gift' as far as attribution is concerned as she meticulously recorded the name of the sitter on each of her works and nearly always added the date and place of the cutting. The majority of her now recorded silhouettes were cut in the period 1835-1853—so it is of interest that she pursued her art for many years later even after photography had seemed to take over,

Her `sitters' were almost entirely members of the aristocracy or their friends and acquaintances. Her parents knew many prominent people of the day and she obviously had regular invitations to visit the homes of these people for weekends and even longer stays. It is likely that she gave her fairly simple bust-length works to the sitters at the time of the cutting. As her full-length works needed a painted background it is likely that these were given at a later date unless she was on a longer stay. I think it is unlikely that she kept many for herself. There is no evidence that she cut duplicates.

Clearly she was not a prolific artist, when her output is compared with that of her contemporary professional artists. Nevertheless she must have cut some hundreds in her time. Rarely have there been more than one or two works by her at a sale in recent years—with the exception of the Sale at Duke & Son in Dorchester on 3rd. & 4th. March 1983. At this Sale there were sixty full-length works and one hundred & six bust-length works by her! From looking through old catalogues and books on the subject of silhouette I have managed to find, what I hope is a good selection of her works to use in this article. No doubt many of her works will have remained in the houses of the descendants of the sitters and are not likely to reach the salerooms

The illustration above is of Queen Victoria—it was cut at Windsor on Friday, January 23rd., 1853.

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FULL-LENGTH SILHOUETTES.

On the left is Lady Emily Richardson seated with her son Thomas and a dog dated 1840 She was sold at Duke & Co. in March 1983.

On the right is Vicountess Castlereagh seated writing with her dog Lee dated 1847—also she was sold at Duke & Co in March 1983..

These silhouettes are among her best known works. The majority she cut are of women—it is of interest that at the Duke Sale, which as mentioned contained sixty full-length works, only eight of these were of men. Also, I cannot trace that any full-length man by her has passed through any of the major salerooms in the last forty years or so.

I have noted that nearly always her 'sitters' are doing something as opposed to just standing or sitting—ie. either playing the piano, sewing, reading, knitting, playing cards, writing or even minding children or a dog. Similarly with her recorded silhouettes of men—they are seen to be reading, exercising a dog, playing a game of ecarte or catching something in a net!

On the left below is Lady Anne Dufferin (nee Foster) taken at Glenann the Antrim Family Seat on 30th. September 1852. She was the daughter of the last Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. She was sold at Bonhams on 5th. September 2006.

On the right is Lady Jane Fitzgerald (1824-1898) She was cut at Carton in December 1845 when she was 21 years of age. She is sitting doing needlework. Also, she was sold at Bonhams on 5th. September 2006. Both works made £1,200 on the hammer, which!! I think is likely to be a record for a work by this artist

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Full-length Silhouettes contd

On the left is Emily Cuppage holding her sewing or maybe her knitting dated 1847.

On the right is Jane Cuppage holding an open book dated 1847 Both were sold as one lot (Lot 28) at Bonhams on 29th. September, 2004. They are the daughters of a Lieut. Governor of Jersey from 1863-1869 Both have been up for sale recently but were found not to be in good condition, which is sad.

As can be seen her figures are elegantly produced although the cutting is relatively simple, whilst being confident and competent at the same time. She did not paint any costume highlight to show costume detail and used no gum arabic—no eyelashes are shown. The paper she used was frequently with a shiny surface but at other times was more matt in texture.

However, what makes these works so collectable is the painted background scenes. These show her artistic skills—each scene would appear to be unique and has some connection with the `sitter'. All give an evocative and atmospheric feel to the work. I think the illustrations on this page and the page before convey this.

On the left is lady Charlotte Hill standing with her dog Flora dated 1843. She was sold at Duke & Co. on 3rd. March, 1983.

On the right below is Lady Louisa Dalrymple Hamilton hand-weaving dated 9th. August, 1847—she died in 1852. She was sold at Peggy Hickman's Sale at Christie's, South Kensington on 12th May 1993, Also, she was the subject of an article by P. Hickman for "Country Life" entitled "A Life in Outline" - this was published on 16th. August 1984. Some of the information given in the article about Louisa Kerr's background is not correct!

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Full-length contd.

Conversation Pieces by Louisa Kerr are not recorded but she did produce a number of works with two figures—these could be of an adult & child, two women, two men or children on their own. I have traced one recorded example of two men—namely Capt. Berkeley and Lord Charles Lennox Kerr playing cards dated 1856, but unfortunately have no photograph of this. On this page I have illustrated three examples of two figure works.

On the left above are Lady Mary Hood seated with Lady Charlotte Chatwynd standing dated 27th. August, 1853. For once the pair appear to be doing nothing but staring out at the landscape! They were sisters and the daughters of the Marquis of Downshire. The work was sold at Christie's, London on 9th. July, 1986 and is also illustrated in the Book on page 328 (illus. 515). On the right above is Emily Napier, the wife of General William Napier. She is standing reading to her son Charles James, who appears to have some disablement, as he is using a stick. It is signed & inscribed March, 1868. This is the latest work by the artist that I have been able to find. It was sold at Christie's London on 7th. November, 1988. In the catalogue entry reference was made to a "broken label" on the reverse—no other details were given, but I doubt it was a printed label. There is no record of a printed label and I doubt if one would 'fit' with the artist's life style and amateur status. Also, Mrs. McKechnie in her Book took the view that it was not likely that the artist would have produced one.

Below is a more unusual work of three children and a dog. The `sitters' are The Earl of Hillsborough, Lord William Hill and Lady Alice Hill. All are members of the Marquis of Downshire's family. No date is recorded but likely to have been cut in the late 1840's from the age of the children. It is 8.75" high—it is difficult to tell which are the boys! The artist and her family must have been very close to the Marquis of Downshire's family as silhouettes of different members frequently appear.

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HER BUST-LENGTH WORK.

I think this work is less successful as her `cutting' has to stand on its own without any highlights or background enhancement. Her cutting is rather plain and simple with no use of gum arabic, no painting outside the main body and no eyelash is shown. Mrs. McKechnie in her entry on the artist on page 248 goes as far as to state that these works "are not of great merit". In spite of this the cutting is competent and there is the occasional surprising detail. The main interest is clearly in the named `sitters'.

Sometimes she cut from a paper with a shiny surface, but at other times as with her full-length figures she used a more matt surface. The silhouettes are stuck on small pieces of paper or more often stiff card. All that I have seen have the customary name of the sitter on the obverse or the reverse or both in some cases—and usually with the date of the cutting. It is likely that the majority of these works will have ended up in the family albums unframed. Few have reached the salerooms with the exception of those at the Duke & Co Sale in 1983, where there were 108 examples sold in lots of 12-15, all unframed. The collection belonged to a relative of Lady Louisa - sold together with much other material related to the Kerr Family.

Above in the centre & on the left are Viscount Ashley and his wife—he later became the 7th. Earl of Shaftesbury and was a well-known philanthropist and reformer. The pair were cut at Newbattle Abbey on 22nd, August, 1839, when the Earl was 38 years old. On the right is the Countess of Errol—she was cut in 1827 and died in 1855.

Below on the left is the Duchess of Richmond cut in 1837—she was sold at Christie's South Kensington as one of a lot of 13 including some relatives of the artist. The Lot made £747 including commission—this seems a very good price for the group and no doubt was largely paid for the named sitters. In the centre is the Marchiness of Downshire dated February 25th, 1835 On the right is the Hon. The Lady Hope cut at Barnes on January, 18th. 1839.

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Bust-length contd.

Above on the left is a framed silhouette of a lady, unusually with no name attached, but on the reverse is inscribed "Profile of Gisele as I saw her at Mrs J. Malcolm's concert June 24th, 1839". I assume she was a performer of some renown—possibly a singer. She was for sale at Phillips, New Bond Street on 6th. November 2000 (Lot 27), but she did not find a buyer. The estimate was £200-300, which was too high I think.

In the centre is Lady Alicia Hope and on the right is her backing card. She was cut on August 29th, 1839 at Newbattle Abbey. She was the daughter of the 4th Earl of Hopetoun. She was born in 1812 and died in 1840 when she was 18 years old—a sad story.

HER PAINTED SILHOUETTES.

I illustrated the two silhouettes below in the April, 2010 Newsletter—the pair had been acquired by Cynthia McKinley of "Wigs on the Green". It was not known until these came to light that Louisa Kerr painted silhouettes, but I think it is not surprising that she did with her artistic skills. I think it is possible that the works were painted early in her career as the background painting is not as sophisticated as the artist's later work. I have no dates for the pair. On the right is Margaret feeding her puppy on the table. On the left is the artist with her step-uncle riding on holiday in France.

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HER WORKS ON IVORY.

Lady Louisa painted on ivory, as several have appeared in the sale-rooms over the years Two of those recorded are painted from studies by other artists. I think it is unlikely that she painted silhouettes on ivory. On the right is an unknown man illustrated in the Book on page 730 (illus. 1543). It is after a study by Rembrandt and is dated April, 1831.

On the left and in the centre are two further full-length works for good measure! On the left is Harriet Fortescue seated at a porch holding a lunette and a book She was cut with her husband in February, 1853 in Chichester. Interestingly the couple were cut 15 days apart—which indicated a long visit or two short visits by Lady Louisa.! Both were sold at the Martin Willcocks Sale at Phillips on 10th. November, 1998. On the right is the Marchioness of Downshire (I have illustrated an earlier bust-length of her in this article). She belongs to a Member of the Club and was previously in the Payne Collection. She has been slightly attenuated and has 'lost' her date as a result., but we know the 'sitter' died in 1855.

CONCLUSION.

Not the most talented of 'cutters' it has to be said, but I think British silhouettes would be the poorer without the contribution of her full-length figures with their hand-painted and often evocative backgrounds. Her particular life of leisure is not likely to be lived by anyone now or in the future—it belongs to a bygone age. I think if Lady Louisa was alive today she would be surprised to know she was the subject of an article in a Silhouette Collectors Newsletter!. Below is an illustration from one of her travel albums—it seems to be part collage and part painted, but is very effective. There is no doubt she had many talents.