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mis. G. E. StlBBter.
Mas. C. E. Streoter, who has just opened
a studio at " Ben Eay," Walsh-street north.
South Yarra, where the talented lady will
now devote herself entirely to art, deserves
more than a passing notice. Her father, Mr.
Ambrose Jennings Shoppard, of Cork, Ireland, was
nephew to the eminent Eord Chief Justice Willis. He
was remarkable for his great benevolence and
charity during the dreadful time which followed the
famine of 18<17. Her mother belonged to the" old
Irish family, the O'Callaghans of Munster. Heavy
losses determined Mr. Sheppard to leave his native
land with his young family for Australia, and he
settled in Geelong, having found there some old
friends.. "Miss Sheppard at once became a pupil of
Mr. Edmund Sasse, and she feels that she owes him
much for the lessons which she received in drawing
and his advice in directing her subsequent studies.
At the age* of 15 Ave find her painting a life size
portrait in oil. The folloAving appeared in
the Geelong Advertiser in one of its issues
of 1869:-—" Lovers of the fine arts Avill
do well to visit the' studio of„._.Miss Shep
pard, of Yarra-street, and inspect.al'ifejsize portrait
of the late much respected Dean^layes,"-now on/the
easel. Those Avho knew the Dean wfil be almost
startled at seeing this admirable portraits He seems
ready to Avalk out of the canvas and meet you Avithv
a hearty greeting as of old." This picture'-isOnoAv\
in the music room of the Orphanage founded byTlie
Dean, and lias lost none of its colouT«Oby •"time..„.In/
1S7U Miss Sheppard painted a large altar piece
for a, church in Gaivler, South Australia,"
to the ordor of the lie v. Eather lteynolds,
afterivards Bishop of Adelaide. The order for this
picture she accepted Avith great diffidence, and only
at the entreaty' of hor friends. Mrs. Streeter relates
us that when she sent the picture to Adelaide she
only asked £30 for her Avork. The lie v. Dr. Keynolds
sent her a cheque for ,£70, and stated that he thought
the picture Avas Avorth more, but that was all he
could afford.- The subject Avas "Christ, or The
Sacred Heart." In 1872 Miss Sheppard produced an
original composition, Avhich she called the "Visionary
Mass, or The Poivor of' Music." This subject was
inspired Avhile studying German and translating
from the life of Mendelssohn. The scene Avas laid in
a small church, in Avhich the great composer loved to
pass uAvay the quiethours of eveningplaying the organ.
An English gentleman, happening to be in the
church Avliile Mendelssohn played, Avas so enchanted
by the music that he imagined he saAV the priests
come forth, and that they sang the Mass. All the
figures introduced into this picture Avere portraits,
and are easily recognised, evon in the photographs
of tlio picture which are shoivn. The xrioture
Avas rallied for the benefit of the orphanages of
Guelong. The photographs are much in demand
still. Before leaving Geelong, Miss Sheppard
painted several other pictures and portraits. In
1875 she removed to Ballarat, and there, in 1877, she
painted hor fine picture of "Manfred." This Avas
exhibited in Paris in 1878-9, and Avas Avell spoken of
by the great Meissonnier. It has since been praised
by the art critics, Dr. Lay, of London, and Mr.
Goodwin LeAvis, The folloiving appeared in the
JJalluruL tilar of October 6, 1877 :—"The artist has
chosen the appearance of the Spirits before Manfred
and the Abuot, as described in the last scene of
Byron's dramatic poem; Manfred is in a chamber
of his to Aver, from the Avide AvindoAV of Avhich one
sees that^
' 4 i'lid^fcars n,ro forth, lliu uioon rLiuvo tlio Loiia
.■Of the snow nhiulng mountain.' . „ :
And Manfred recalls his visit at a similar hour to
the Coliseum arid other ruins of Homo, for
"f'wna such ft nitflit I
'Tis stnuitfo 1 should rooull It at this tiuio.
As lie meditates the Abbot enters, to try once more
his ghostly'iniiuence upon the erratic Manfred,who
tells him to retire as'it is not safe to _bo there,
draAviiig attention, as lie speaks, to the apparition
of the first spirit."
In 1879 Miss Wlieppard married Mr. Jonathan
Julius Streoter, a much resiioctod resident of
Ballarat, and one of the old family of the Streeters,
of Brighton, England. Mr'. Streoter died two yoard
after his iuarriage, leaving one son,
In 1885 Mrs. Streoter. and lior son removed to
Melbourne, and set up iter studio at the Grand
•Hotel. There she painted from1 life a portrait of
Sir Athouy UroAvaless. ■ l'Toiu Vioat Colo's beautiful
picture bf " Kiiponiiig Sunbeams" she imbibed a love
of landscape, as avIH bo seen by a visit to lior studio,
l'artioularly uobioeablo: is,a fine, oopy of Davis's
picturo of Ben Eay; This possesses all the vigour
and life of an original, arid yet is an exact copy.
There are several other pictures of great merit, The
amount" of work Mrs. Streoter lias done is marvel
lous, considering, that all tho'timo In whioli she pro
duced 'upAvards "of forty piuturos, not to count
huudrods of 'driiAvinga, shewas a hard studont, and
a teach or' 'whoso records - are among the boat in
.Victoria; Bho is'highly recommended by tlio Eduoa
tipn "department as a toachoi' of advanced. pupils,.
and; oapeoiat muntiou iH uiado of Latin, iVronoh,;
Euclid, algebra, as well as perspective, freehand ami
goomutrioal drawing. Now "tluitiMrs. Sbvoetor has
dotormluud. to > dovotio alblier time to hor beloved,
art,"muioTri "may „bo expected'from herself and lroin
Jrer pupils, ' • ( i . (|( '., : . ■ . , . .
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