Jemima Blackburn (née Wedderburn) (1823–1909) was a Scottish painter whose work gives us an evocative picture of rural life in 19th century Scotland. One of most popular illustrators in Victorian Britain, she illustrated 27 books. Her greatest ornithological achievement was the second edition of her Birds from Nature 1868. Most are watercolors, with early paintings often including some ink work. A few are collages, in which she cut out a bird’s o...
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Jemima Blackburn (née Wedderburn) (1823–1909) was a Scottish painter whose work gives us an evocative picture of rural life in 19th century Scotland. One of most popular illustrators in Victorian Britain, she illustrated 27 books. Her greatest ornithological achievement was the second edition of her Birds from Nature 1868. Most are watercolors, with early paintings often including some ink work. A few are collages, in which she cut out a bird’s outline and transferred it to a different background, in a similar manner to John James Audubon. Her many watercolours show daily family life in the late nineteen century Scottish Highlands as well as fantasy scenes from children's fables. She achieved widespread recognition under the initials JB or her married name Mrs Hugh Blackburn.
The youngest daughter of James Wedderburn, Solicitor General for Scotland, Jemima was a friend and pupil of John Ruskin and Sir Edwin Landseer, both of whom praised her work highly. She married the mathematician...
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