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BURRELL, Louise H. "Louie"

Born
London, England, 1873
Died
London, England, 1971
Biography synopsis
A miniaturist and portrait painter, Louise Burrell ("Louie," née Luker) led a life of financial, geographical and emotional upheaval. Although her parents were artists, they showed little encouragement for her attempts to develop her talent, removing her from the South Kensington Art School and putting her to work as an art teacher. Determined to receive artistic training, Burrell sent examples of her work to Herkomer at Bushey, who awarded her a three-year scholarship. Burrell won the award for best student each year and some of her miniatures were accepted for exhibition by the Royal Academy. Despite her success, the artist left England for Cape Town where she married. She returned to England for the birth of her daughter and her husband died shortly after. Attempting to rebuild her artistic reputation in London, she painted many notable individuals, exhibited often, and was elected to the Royal Miniature Society in 1912. However, her health remained unstable, so she planned a short visit to Canada. She settled in Ottawa, where a well-connected cousin enabled her to paint the affluent of Canadian society. Her plans to return to England were delayed by the advent of World War I, and Burrell moved to Victoria. She was unable to establish herself as an artist on the west coast, however, and became a boarding house keeper. When this venture failed, she began sketching watercolour portraits of local soldiers. In 1916, she moved to Hollywood, painting the stars of the film industry until 1919 when she returned to England. Although considerably popular, Burrell continued to struggle to make ends meet, and she and her daughter left for India in 1929, where she painted many members of Indian royalty. She then traveled to Cairo before returning to London in 1931to recover her health. In 1952, she received an annual grant from the artists' general benevolent fund which at last gave her monetary security.
Media used
Painting
Watercolour
Education
Bushey School of Art, Bushey, England, 1900 - 1904 (under Hubert von Herkomer)
Memberships
Royal Miniature Society, 1912
File & Archive locations
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ON
London Metropolitan University, UK - The Woman's Library
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
Louie Burrell: a woman painter: a short biography compiled from the letters and writings of Philippa Burrell and Jim Murrell. Hull, England: University of Hull, 1996
"A Clever Miniaturist." Ladies' Pictorial (15 Apr. 1911)
"A Famous Portrait Painter: Mrs. Louis Burrell Now in Ottawa." Evening Journal (Ottawa) 30 May 1912
"A miniaturist of distinction..." The Queen (8 Jun. 1912)
"A Painter of Portraits." The Lady (London, England) (17 Jul. 1924)
"A Trip Down Memory Lane." Gazette (London, England) 19 May 1993
"An Edwardian Painter." The Independent (London, England) 5 Jan. 1988
"Art and Artists: The Royal Society of Miniature Painters." Daily Graphic (London, England) 18 Jul. 1912
"Art Exhibition: Miniatures." Times (London, England) 19 Jul. 1912
"Art Exhibitions." Daily Telegraph (London, England) 28 May 1902
"Art treasures promised to town." Derbyshire Times (England) 26 Jul. 1991
"Barbican." Time Out (London, England) 13 Jan. 1988
"Calow playwright pulls off coup." Chesterfield Star (England) 15 Apr. 1979
"Daughter's gift to art lovers." Derbyshire Times (England) 1 Jun. 1990
"Educational Systems Show." Design Week (London, England) 22 Jan. 1988
"Exhibition Attracts Many Art Lovers." Daily Colonist (Victoria) Jan. 1916
"Fame at last." East London Advertiser (England) 15 Jan. 1988
"Forgotten Portraitist." Antique Dealer: Collector's Guide 9 (May 1979): 54, 55
"Gift of Art." Gazette (London, England) 21 Mar. 1990
"Lost and Found." The Lady (London, England) (14 Jan. 1988)
"Lost Edwardian Painter." London Weekly Diary of Social Events (England) 24 Jan. 1988
"Louie Burrell: 1873-1971." London Review of Books (England) 7 Jan. 1988
"Mainly About People." Times (London, England) 27 Aug. 1982
"Mrs. Burrell gave an interesting exhibition..." The Financial Times (London, England) 20 May 1912
"Mrs. Burrell's Miniatures." Ladies' Field (13 Jul. 1912)
"Mrs. Burrell, née Luker." Gentlewoman (25 May 1912)
"Mrs. P.H. Burrell..." Gibraltar Chronicle (Spain) 18 Feb. 1910
"New outlook on town's past." The Derbyshire Times (England) 19 May 1994
"Newly-discovered Edwardian painter..." East London Advertiser (England) 8 Jan. 1988
"Philippa's gift of art." Gazette (London, England) 6 Jun. 1990
"Playwright's book - a tribute to mother." Derbyshire Times (England) 15 Jun. 1979
"Proud daughter..." Solihull News (England) 15 Dec. 1979
"Small show by lost artist." City Recorder (London, England) 14 Jan. 1988
"Some Attractive Miniatures." Ladies' Field (1 Apr. 1911)
"Some Beautiful Miniatures." Gentlewoman (15 Apr. 1911): 489
"Will changes after council arts sale." The Gazette (London, England) 16 May 1991
American Federation of the Arts. American Art Annual, 1921. Washington, DC and New York: American Federation of the Arts, 1921
Avis, Juliette. "Louie Burrell (1873-1971) An Edwardian Painter - Lost & Found." Miss London London, England: 25 Jan. 1988
Burrell, Philippa. The golden thread : an autobiography. London: Skilton and Shaw, 1979
Burrell, Philippa; ed. S. Poole. "Louie Burrell." Stand to Your Work: Hubert Herkomer and his Students. Watford, England: Watford Museum, 1983
Charlton, Ann. "Art gallery team draws in expert." Derbyshire Times (England) 21 May 1992
Charlton, Ann. "Daughter's dim view of gallery." Derbyshire Times (Chesterfield, England) 11 Aug. 1994
Cox, Steve. "Art loss draws parties into museum wrangle." Derbyshire Times 17 May 1991
Dawdy, Doris Ostrander. Artists of the American West: A Biographical Dictionary, Vol. 2 Athens, Ohio: Swallow Press, Ohio University Press, 1981
Fielding, Mantle. Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers Poughkeepsie, New York: Apollo Books, 1986
Foskett, Daphne. A Dictionary of British Miniature Painters, Vol. 1. New York and Washington: Praeger, 1972
Foskett, Daphne. Miniatures: Dictionary and Guide Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1987
Foskett, Daphne. "Louise Burrell Rediscoverd" Antique Collector June 1987: 116-122.
Giles, Julia. "All for the love of mother..." Chesterfield Express (Chesterfield, England) 28 Jul. 1994
Graves, Algernon. The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and Their Works from its Foundations in 1769 to 1904 London: Henry Graves & Co. and George Bell & Sons, 1905
Hardie, Martin. "The World of Art." Queen (20 Jul. 1912)
Hughes, Edan Milton. Artists in California, 1786-1940 San Francisco: Hughes Publishing, 1986
Johnson, Jane and A. Greutzer. Dictionary of British Artists, 1880-1940 Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1976
Lomax, Rosemary. "Arts Weekly Review: Louie Burrell: An Artist Lost and Found." Focus (30 Jan. 1988)
Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art. Exhibition of miniatures and sketch portraits by Mrs. Louie Burrell, June 5 through June 30, 1917. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, 1917
Low, Mildred. "English Ladies Prominent at the Capital." Montreal Sunday Herald Montreal: 7 Dec. 1913
MacBeth, Madge. "Women Who Work: The Miniature Painter." Macleans 1913
Mappin Art Gallery. Watercolors by Louie Burrell 1873-1971. Weston Park: Mappin Art Gallery, 1983
McMann, Evelyn de Rostaing. Royal Canadian Academy of Arts/Académie royale des arts du Canada: Exhibitions and Members 1880-1979 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981
Opitz, Glenn B., ed. Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers Poughkeepsie, New York: Apollo, 1983
Petteys, Chris, et al. Dictionary of Women Artists: An International Dictionary of Women Artists Born Before 1900 Boston: G. K. Hall, 1985
Royal Academy of Arts. Exhibitions 1905-1970: A Dictionary of Artists and their Work in the Summer Exhibitions of the Royal Academy of Arts East Ardsley: EP Publishing, 1982
Talbot, Linda. "A trunk line renews Louie's renown." Ham and High (Hampstead, England) Hampstead, England: 8 Jan. 1988
Tapping, Arwen. "Louie Burrell: A Portrait in Miniature." Paragon Review: http://www.hull.ac.uk/oldlib/archives/paragon/1998/burrell.html 1998
Young, William, ed. Dictionary of American Artists, Sculptors and Engravers from the Beginnings through the Turn of the Twentieth Century Cambridge, Massachussetts: William Young & Co, 1968

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