Florence Carlyle was born in Galt, Ontario in 1864 and moved to Woodstock as a small child when her father was appointed Inspector of Schools for Oxford County. Florence wed the discovery of her talents to her mother who, recognizing the young girl's promise, organized an art class, set up a studio at 332 Simcoe Street, and brought a teacher from New York. Her youthful attempts won the interest of Paul Peel, then an ambitious young painter in London, Ontario. She traveled to Paris, France in 1890 and there studied under Bougereau, Delecleuse, L'Hermite and two famous masters of the atelier - Julian Lefebre and Tony Robert-Fleury. Her work first hung in the Paris Salon in 1893. Miss Carlyle exhibited at the Royal Academy and at many galleries on both sides of the Atlantic.
Florence returned to Canada in 1896. She was elected a member of the Ontario Society of Artists. She maintained studios in London and at her home in Woodstock. The old homestead "Englewood" still stands at 146 Wilson Street in Woodstock. In 1897 she was honoured by being one of the first women to be elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy. In 1899 she opened a studio in New York, and a steady demand for her work grew in American art centres.
The last 20 years of her life were spent in England. In 1913 she and a good friend, Miss Julie Hastings, bought "Sweet Haws", a typical English cottage at Crowborough, Sussex England, where some of her best work was produced. She died at Crowborough on May 2, 1923.
In style she was much more modern than her friend and patron Paul Peel; the freedom of her brushwork was something new in that period. One marvels at the thinness of Miss Carlyle's pigment, for the effect is that of heavy paint. Her genius was primarily that of a figure/portrait painter. She was also a wonderful colorist. |
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Florence Carlyle 1864 - 1923
She is enjoying a renewed interest from researchers at a number of Canadian Universities at the present.
Past articles written about Carlyle focus on her strong personality, independent spirit rather than on her artwork. She rarely dated her work making it difficult for researchers to follow her progress.
She went to Paris un-chaperoned at the recommendation of her then mentor Paul Peel ( one of Museum London’s feature artists…) and his sister Mildred a sculptor.
Her style reflected early impressionism at times being freer and looser than much of the work done by her contemporaries. She was an amazing colourist and was well versed with the use of light in her artwork.
In 1897 she was honoured by being the first woman to be elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and in the same year became one of the founding members of the alpine club.
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