Edith Somerville: Irish Author, Artist, and Suffragette Who Defied Convention
Born in 1858 in Ireland, Edith Somerville was a writer, illustrator, and activist. She teamed up with her second cousin, Violet Martin, to create 14 works under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross," beginning with An Irish Cousin in 1889. Their acclaimed "Irish R.M." series features Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. (1899) and The Real Charlotte (1894). In 1903, Somerville made history as Ireland's first female Master of Fox Hounds and showcased her art in various galleries. Both were suffragettes, with Somerville serving as president of the Munster Women's Franchise League in 1910. Following Martin's passing in 1915, Somerville pursued their shared interests through spiritualism. She passed away in 1949 and rests in County Cork.
Key facts
- Edith Somerville was born in 1858 in Ireland.
- She collaborated with her second cousin Violet Martin under the pen name "Somerville and Ross."
- Their first book, An Irish Cousin, was published in 1889.
- The "Irish R.M." series was adapted into a television series in 1983.
- Somerville became the first female Master of Fox Hounds in Ireland in 1903.
- She served as president of the Munster Women's Franchise League in 1910.
- She received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Trinity College, Dublin in 1932.
- She died in 1949 and is buried beside Violet Martin in Castletownshend, County Cork.
Entities
Artists
- Edith Somerville
- Violet Martin
- Mrs. Thomas Hitchcock
Institutions
- South Kensington School of Art
- Alexandra College
- Académie Colarossi
- Académie Delécluse
- Westminster School of Art
- Derrydale Press
- National Sporting Library & Museum
- Lady's Pictorial
- The Graphic
- National Portrait Gallery
- Aiken Hounds
- Watercolor Society of Ireland
- Royal Hibernian Society
- Goupil Gallery
- Walker's Gallery
- Ackermann Galleries
- Munster Women's Franchise League
- Trinity College, Dublin
- Irish Academy of Letters
- Irish Exhibition of Living Art
- Queen's University, Belfast
- Whyte's
- Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museum Wales
Locations
- Ireland
- London
- England
- Dublin
- Paris
- Middleburg
- Virginia
- USA
- County Cork
- County Donegal
- South Carolina
- New York
- Castletownshend
- Cardiff
- UK