St. Cecilia

A painting of the head and shoulders of a young woman, turned in profile to the left; with a halo behind her head; with a background of geometric and floral patterns; with the title lettered below.

Although the jeweller and craftswoman Kate Eadie was born forty years after the Pre-Raphaelite artist Henry Holiday, their contributions to the collection of drawings and watercolours in the Dolls’ House have much in common. The far-reaching influence of the Arts and Crafts movement is evident in the meticulous repeating pattern of the blue lattice and in the stylised floral foil comprising the backdrop to this depiction of St Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. The strict profile format hints at a debt to Pre-Raphaelite and Renaissance portraiture. In 1915 Kate Eadie was elected an Associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, with whom she exhibited jewellery and metalware. She was the Society’s first female member.