Mary Townsend

Drawing of Lyttelton Harbour by Townsend

Mary Townsend (1822 – 31 December 1869) was an artist and an early English settler in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Townsend emigrated to Canterbury from England in 1850 with her parents, nine siblings and a cousin.[1] Her father was James Townsend (1788–1866),[2] whose first home in Canterbury gave its name to the Christchurch suburb of Ferrymead.[3] They arrived at Lyttelton on the Cressy, one of Canterbury's First Four Ships.[1] She had already had some years of art training in England before emigrating, and on arrival she continued to paint. She specialised in portraits, and her portrait of the Chairman of the Colonists' Association (her husband, Dr Donald) was exhibited in Christchurch in 1852.[4][5] Townsend also produced drawings and watercolours of Lyttelton, one of which was used to illustrate the Canterbury Association's Canterbury Papers 1850–1851.[4][6] In 1870, Townsend's work was included in the first art exhibition held in Christchurch, staged by the Canterbury Provincial Council and held at a temporary annex of the Canterbury Museum.[4]

Fellow settler Charlotte Godley commissioned Townsend to paint a portrait of her husband John Godley, the Chief Agent of the Canterbury Association, and another of their infant son, Arthur.[7] The portrait of Arthur Godley is in the collection of Canterbury Museum,[1] while the Christchurch Art Gallery holds the painting of John Godley.[8]

On 20 November 1851 she married William Donald, Medical Officer of Health for Lyttelton.[9] Her elder sister Frances married William John Warburton Hamilton in 1855.[10] Mary Donald suffered an attack of paralysis in mid-1867 and never fully recovered. She died from another episode on 31 December 1869.[11] She was buried at Lyttelton Cemetery.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Townsend, Mary (Mrs W. Donald) | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Town and Country". Lyttelton Times. XXVI (1765). 14 August 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Harper, Margaret. "Christchurch Place Names: A–M" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 111. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 A Concise History of Art in Canterbury 1850–2000. Christchurch, New Zealand: Robert McDougall Art Gallery. 2000. p. 13. ISBN 0-908874-91-X.
  5. ↑ Feeney, Warren (2010). "The Establishment of the Canterbury Society of Arts" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of History. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Christchurch | NZETC. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "John Robert Godley". Cantage – Canterbury Heritage. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Mary Donald". Christchurch Art Gallery. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Married". Lyttelton Times. I (46). 22 November 1851. p. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Married". Lyttelton Times. V (315). 7 November 1855. p. 5. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Local and General". The Star (506). 3 January 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "News of the Day". The Press. XVI (2096). 4 January 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Townsend.

Image of a sketch by Townsend of the Cressy's arrival at Lyttelton

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