Beetham, Isabella, Mrs

Gender:

Female

Date and place of birth:

born 11.11.1754, Sedgefield, Durham

Date and place of death:

dec. Smith Street, Chelsea. bur. 10.08.1825, St. Dunstans in the West, Strand, London

Worked:

(fl) ca. 1777-ca. 1809

Known places of work:

London

Known techniques:

Cut-work, painted on card, paper, ivory, convex glass

Known materials:

Black or blackened paper, card, ivory, convex glass. Used plaster or wax backing for works on convex glass

Frames:

Oval fruitwood, pressed brass, papier-mâché & jewellery settings

Signature:

Recorded

Introduction:

Mrs. Isabella Beetham was a celebrated artist whose work on paper has been considered “among the best of [her] time”. She was active for a long period of her life, though the exact years are unknown. She was very versatile in both techniques and choice of materials, and developed considerably over her career. She was most famous for her skilled delineation of sitters’ features.

Isabella Beetham, originally Isabella Robinson, was born to a family of Jacobites and Roman Catholics. She was married to Edward Betham (original spelling) and had six children. It is thought that the two eloped. The first of her children was Jane, born in 1773, who it is believed helped her mother in her studio. Mrs. Beetham used many different framing techniques including oval hammered brass frames, oval shaped pearwood frames and papier mâché frames; the choice of frame was often depended on the silhouette materials. Seven trade labels are known.

Mrs. Beetham was a multitalented artist, who changed her style frequently. She started as a silhouettist using paper and card, but over time more work was painted on ivory and plaster. Mrs. Isabella Beetham was most well known for her faithful and emotive depictions of sitters’ features, and her skill at drawing likenesses was frequently advertised on trade labels. She was a respected and popular artist, but has become more unknown in recent years and would benefit from more research.