Georgiana McCrae
| Georgiana McCrae | |
|---|---|
Georgiana McCrae
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| Born |
March 15, 1804 London |
| Died | May 24, 1890 (aged 86) |
| Spouse(s) | Andrew McCrae |
Georgiana Gordon McCrae (15 March 1804 – 24 May 1890) was an Australian painter and diarist.
Born in London, she was the illegitimate daughter of George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon, and Jane Graham. Her father, although he publicly acknowledged her, played little part in her life as far as can be deduced from Gordon's memoirs. In 1805–07 she spent much of her early childhood in Scotland – her first memories were playing with rocks in Newhaven. She was baptised on 6 October 1806 at St James' Church, Piccadilly, her father standing as one of her godfathers.
By 1809, Gordon and her mother had moved to Somers Town, where she began her education at a convent school. Somers Town was full of French refugees from the revolution some thirty years earlier. She did not study there for long; because those who paid her school fees were worried about Catholic revolutionary influences, she was temporarily sent to Claybrook House in Fulham. She stayed there less than a year, and it was when she was tutored at home that her talent was discovered.
Her first art teacher was Louis Mauleon, a civilian prisoner of war who earned his living by making cartons and jacks for London toyshops. He taught her at one shilling a lesson. Under Mauleon she learnt how to draw in black and red chalk. He left her on 13 August 1813, the same date as her aunt, Margaret Graham, dying.
Graham had left Georgiana's mother £400. It was to be used for Georgiana having a home of her own. After having become ill in the winter of 1813, she studied music under novelist Fanny Holcroft. The need to control her future was emphasised by her father's second marriage.
In 1814, Georgiana studied under John Varley. At eleven, she was committed to a professional career, and as such, studied Greek and Roman statues for fifteen hours a week. However, she thought portraits were her metier. She also studied with John Glover and Dominic Serres. Abbé Huteau, a French priest, took charge of her general education from 1814–1820, and she received two proposals.
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