MULLETT, ESTHER (1863-1947)

"Roses" (1911)
oil on board
35.5 x 81cm
signed lower left
*private collection, Melbourne
 
Esther Louise Mullett was born in London to Edwin Mullett & Emily Jane Dear. Little is recorded about Mullett's formative years, but it's thought she studied in England prior to her family relocating to Hawthorn, Australia. By 1889, she was an active member of the Sunday School in Christ Church, Hawthorn, where she displayed her artistic & musical talents. By 1892 she was a member of the Victorian Sketching Club, exhibiting regularly over the next decades. By 1897, she was a prominent member of the Melbourne Art Club, exhibiting alongside Hilda Rix Nicholas, J.A. Turner, JH Scheltema & HS Power. In 1898, she received the "Flowers & Fruit" Prize at the Melbourne Art Club, & also became a member of the Yarra Sculptors' Society alongside C. Douglas Richardson, Arthur Loureiro & May Vale. In 1899, Mullett was selected to exhibit at the Greater Britain Exhibition in Earl's Court in London, with Tom Roberts, E.Phillips Fox, Violet Teague, Loureiro & John Longstaff. She exhibited "A Long Summer Day" & "Roses"; the latter won the coveted Gold Medal, the top prize. This work was later lent to the Bendigo Art Gallery. Mullett was a leading portraitist, landscape, animal & floral painter from her studio at 36 Elgin St, Hawthorn. She also provided illustrations to works such as "Rural Scenes From The Golden West" by John O'Hara. She regularly appeared in media publications in the early 20th century, most of which considered her one of the finest artists of the time. From her studio, she became a leading painting instructor, teaching a generation of young artists, & her "At Home" studio student exhibitions were legendary annual events covered by papers, & opened by leading political & public figures. She also hosted "Summer Sketching Classes" in Lorne & Frankston. A social butterfly, she was also a regular attendee of the Hawthorn Mayoral Ball. She was a prolific artist who exhibited regularly at George's on Collins Street. She died a spinster.