s Interior Study, c.1937 - Hull Museums Collections

Interior Study, c.1937

Interior Study, c.1937 Mary was born Mary Dawson Bishop in 1874. She was the daughter of a shipping merchant in Liverpool. Mary married a Hull oil broker, George Holmes, and together they lived at Bar House in Beverley. Following Holmes’ death in 1913 Mary married Fred Elwell (1870-1958) and the couple remained at Bar House until their deaths. Like Fred, Mary was a very talented artist. She exhibited no less than 58 paintings at the prestigious Royal Academy exhibitions in London. Amongst her best paintings were her sparkling and colourful interiors, often set in the homes of friends living near the North Bar Gate in Beverley, and at Bar House itself. The sitter and the room featured in this interior are uncertain, but could be Fred’s Father, James, in the study of Bar House.