Georgina Bowers

Georgina Bowers (1836–1912) was a Victorian comic illustrator, and one of the first female humourists to be acknowledged professionally. As a child she had a personal connection with animals, and later in life realistic drawings of horses and dogs became common features in her artwork. Bowers is noted most highly for her work as an illustrator for Punch, though she published many of her own comics as well.

Photo of Georgina Bowers by S. A. Walker.

Early life

Georgina Bowers was a Victorian illustrator born in 1836 in London, England.[1] Her mother died before Bowers got to know her, and her father, George Bowers was the Dean of Manchester, though he was the Rector of St Paul's, Covent Garden at the time of Bowers’ birth.[2]

As a child, Bowers loved country life and animals, which would both become recurring subjects of her later work. From a young age she took an interest in drawing dogs and horses, though her governess discouraged it, insisting instead that she focus on needlework and reading.[1] This proved fruitless, however, and Bowers ended up drawing in most of her free time, of which she had quite a lot.

At 15 she was sent away from home to Derbyshire, where she was tutored privately in subjects such as music, drawing, and German.[1] Here, however, despite being tutored in drawing, she was discouraged yet again from drawing animals. Instead, her teacher only advised her in watercolour sketching, which was deemed more appropriate for a young woman such as herself.[1]

Career
A panel from "Hollybush Hall" by Georgina Bowers.

After her coming out, in which she was presented officially as a woman in society ready to be married, she decided to begin studying at the Manchester School of Art. This was unusual for a woman in her position, and she devoted much of her time to it.

Later she became an illustrator for Punch, working with artists such as Mark Lemon, Shirley Brooks, and John Leech.[1] After Leech died in 1864, however, she moved to Hertfordshire to work and be near the countryside she loved so dearly as a child. This move proved beneficial for her, as she was able to partake in many sporting studies, as well as artistic studies of horses and dogs while hunting.[1] Additionally, Bowers once stated that the vast majority of the jokes in her own publications were inspired by incidents that had occurred while out hunting.[3]

By 1876, Bowers was designing nearly all of the hunting subjects for Punch, and spent her days with her dogs or on horseback, keeping a sketchbook in her saddlebag at all times so that she could draw the animals and scenery around her.[1]

Publications
Cover of "Hollybush Hall" by Georgina Bowers.

Some of Bowers’ publications include (but are not limited to):

  • “Hollybush Hall, or, Open House in an Open Country”, a collection of 16 of her comics (1871)[4]
  • The illustrations for “A Loose Rein” by Elim Henry D'Avigdor (1887)[5]
  • The illustrations for “Castles and Their Heroes" by Barbara Hutton (1868)[6]

Sources
  1. Clayton, Ellen Creathorne (1876). English Female Artists. Tinsley Brothers.
  2. Papers of GH Bowers Archived 17 July 2012 at Archive.today
  3. Spielmann, Marion Harry (1895). The History of "Punch". London: Cassell.
  4. Bowers, Georgina (1871). Hollybush Hall, or, Open House in an Open Country. London: Bradbury.
  5. D'Avigdor, Elim Henry (1887). A Loose Rein. London: Bradbury.
  6. Hutton, Barbara (1868). Castles and Their Heroes. London: Griffith and Farran.
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