Emma Minnie Boyd
Born 1858, Melbourne; died 1936
Afternoon Tea, 1888.
41cm x 35.8cm
Purchased, 1888.
Photographer: Ian Hill
Visual description:
This interior scene in a grand room shows two seated figures near a tall, curved window filled with daylight and views of leafy trees outside. The window is framed by layered curtains. On the right, a seated figure wears a light pink dress and sits at a small round table covered with a lace cloth, on which teacups, a teapot, and dishes are arranged. On the left, another seated figure in darker green clothing rests near the window. Upholstered furniture, patterned carpet and wallpaper, and a framed picture complete the room.
Curator’s insights:
Acquired by Bendigo Art Gallery in 1888, this was the first work by a female artist to enter the Gallery’s collection. Born Emma Minnie à Beckett in Melbourne in 1858, Minnie has become known as the matriarch of the Boyd artistic dynasty. A young prodigy, she began exhibiting at the age of 15 and trained at the prestigious National Gallery School. Like many of her contemporaries, Boyd travelled to Europe to develop her career; she was one of the first female Australian artists to exhibit at the Royal Academy, London.
Afternoon Tea was painted at the Boyd family home Glenfern, now a National Trust property in St Kilda East. The work is thought to depict Lily Boyd (right), Arthur’s sister and Minnie’s own sister Ethel (left). The two women are engaged in the art of tea (a pastime made popular by Queen Victoria). The sitters appear at odds within this composition: while they share the same physical space, they seem disconnected from each other and lost within the large room.