TOOSE, MARJORIE MAE (1909-1965)

"Sydney Harbour View” (c.1925)
Watercolour
25 X 20cm
Signed lower right
*private collection, Sydney
 
Toose is a forgotten Australian Female Impressionist. Little is known about Marjorie. She attended Batonga College in North Sydney, and shortly after leaving school she became the Old Girls' Union Treasurer. She was a amateur poet, with "A Picnic Party" published in the Sunday Times in November 1926. It is believed Toose studied at the Julian Ashton Art School under the legendary Sydney Long. Analysing this stunning watercolour; the wave of the tree trunks, flicker of foliage, harbourside location, misty background and subtle, earthy palette are all hallmarks of Long. Long's unique style was an unquestionable influence on emerging Australian artists at the beginning of the 20th century, and Long's students often produced works imitating their master tutor. Long was an instructor for countless female painters including Isabel McWhannell & Marion Ferrier, most of whom disappeared into obscurity. We believe Toose was one such artist, and it is clear she had undeniable talent from this sole example of her work. She married Albert Harold Scholfield in 1939, and little is recorded about her life after this point, apart from her attendance at a few social gatherings, mentioned in local newspapers. She died prematurely in 1965.