Ellis Rowan
Emperor Butterfly, Polyura
pyrrhus L. Painted in 1911
Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922), wildflower painter, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and began exhibiting her flower paintings in about 1873. Following a meeting with the world-travelling English artist, Marianne North, in 1880, Ellis Rowan began a life of travel and adventure, stressing the importance of painting her subjects in their natural setting. She travelled in Queensland in 1891, 1892, 1911, 1912 and 1913 to make a fairly systematic record of the flora. In 1912, Ellis staged an exhibition in Brisbane of her Queensland paintings, and successfully challenged the State government to buy 125 paintings, which are now in the collection of the Queensland Museum.
Extract from Brilliant Careers: Women collectors and illustrators in Queensland compiled by Judith McKay (1997), Queensland Museum This book may be purchased from the Queensland Museum shop.