Rowan, Ellis (1848–1922)
Rowan, Ellis (1848–1922)
Australian botanical artist. Name variations: Marian Ellis Rowan. Born Marian Ellis Ryan, July 30, 1848, in Melbourne, Australia; died Oct 4, 1922; eldest of 7 children of Charles and Marian Ryan; paternal granddau. of Ellis Agar Hartley, illeg. dau. of King George IV and Ellis Agar, countess of Brandon (died 1789); tutored in oil painting by Marianne North (1880); m. Frederic Charles Rowan, Oct 23, 1873 (died 1892); children: 1 son.
Illustrated many plants and animals found during explorations in New Guinea and Australia; traveled, painted, and exhibited (1873–93); exhibited at the London International Exhibition at Crystal Palace (1884) and at Melbourne's 1888 Centennial International Exhibition (awarded highest honors); met and collaborated with American botanist, Alice Lounsberry, on A Guide to the Wild Flowers (1899), A Guide to the Trees (1900) and Southern Wild Flowers and Trees (1901); returned to Australia (1905–06); exhibited more than 1,000 paintings at the Fine Arts Gallery in Sydney (Mar 1920); published Flower Hunter in Queensland and New Zealand (1898). Clients included Queen Victoria, who chose 3 paintings to be made into a screen (1895); over 900 paintings were purchased by the Australian federal government (1923) and are held at National Library of Australia, Canberra.