Winifred Austen

Winifred Austen was well known for her paintings of animals. Her work ranged from exotic animals at the Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park to those creatures that lived freely in the British countryside, notably small birds. She also produced illustrations for books, magazines, and postcards with animal motifs. Although born in Ramsgate the daughter of a naval surgeon, her family moved to Hornsey, London in 1892 and she attended the London County Council School of Arts and Crafts studying under Cuthbert Swan, who was well known for his paintings of animals. She painted in oils and watercolour and, because of her interest in working in the media, she also became an exponent of etchings and dry-point engraving. Etching was popular in Britain at the turn of the 20th century and Austen was inspired by the twins Charles and Edward Detmold.

She first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1899 and over the next 62 years had more than 70 pictures exhibited at the Academy. Winifred was elected to the Society of Women’s Artists in 1902 and the following year she became a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society. She was elected to the Royal Society of Painter, Etchers and Engravers in 1907 and to the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1933. The world famous ornithologist and Olympic sailor Sir Peter Scott described Austen as the “the best bird-etcher of this century.” Amongst others, she illustrated the book Birds Ashore and Aforeshore, published in 1935. In her long career she made around 200 of her own plates. She moved out of London after marrying the her American-born agent Oliver Frick in 1917. They lived in Yeovil in Somerset and Dorking in Surrey before moving to Suffolk in 1922 where Oliver died the following year but Winfred kept working until late in life.

Austen created several versions for most bird species, some in different techniques. Therefore, her submitted works cannot be clearly identified. In the catalog, only Mallards in the Creek is clearly defined as an etching. However, it can be assumed that Lapwing and Snipe were also etchings.