Kerr, Louisa, Lady

Introduction:

Due to her social status and gender Lady Louisa Kerr did not undertake paid artistic work. However, the strength of her family connections and friendship with many of the important figures of the day means her pieces characteristically depict much of contemporary High Society. Lady Louisa had a very distinctive style and her work is highly valued today, as much for its subjects as her skill.

Lady Louisa Kerr was the daughter of Vice Admiral Lord Mark Kerr and the Countess of Antrim. She had seven brothers, of whom three died early, and five sisters. She may have inherited her talent from her father who was a gifted amateur artist, and whose watercolour landscapes and caricatures were well thought of. As typical for those of her status and gender she was educated at home, where her artistic skills were gently encouraged through the production of watercolour scenes and copies. Lady Louisa travelled widely with her family and was married for a short period of time around 1870. She cut works between 1818 and 1868, with the majority produced 1835-1853. Her sitters were overwhelmingly members of the aristocracy or their friends and while her output was not great it still probably numbered in the hundreds. Her works were all meticulously named, dated and signed.

Although there are certain works of Lady Louisa Kerr which are not considered particularly noteworthy, even these more mediocre works are all characteristic of a certain, identifiable style. After initially painting on ivory, Lady Louisa moved on to cut card work. The majority of her profiles are full length, cut from a distinctive shiny black card and stuck to a delicately painted and appropriate background. They are generally very well executed, confident and competent rather than overly stylistic, and recognisable at once as being the work of Lady Louisa. As all her works meticulously record the identity of their high-profile sitters, modern interest in and the value of her pieces has greatly increased.