Dora Wilson

Dora Lynnell Wilson (31 August 1883 - 21 November 1946) was a British-born Australian artist, best known in her adopted country of Australia for her etchings and street scenes.

Dora Lynnell Wilson was born on 31 August 1883 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Her parents were James Wilson, agent, and Annie Maria, née Green. The family emigrated to the state of Victoria in Australia in 1884, when Dora was a year old.

Wilson was educated at Somerset School and Methodist Ladies' College in Melbourne. From 1901-1906 she studied at the National Gallery under Bernard Hall and Frederick McCubbin. She also took lessons from John Mather.

Wilson was best known for her etchings, pastels and oils of still lifes and nudes. Her work was praised for her 'strong sense of colour' but also critiqued for demonstrating a 'chocolate box prettiness'. Her work was included in a number of notable exhibitions, including the Australian Exhibition of Women's Work in Melbourne, a Royal Academy exhibition of Australian art in London. In 1923 her work, 'Reve d'Or', was reproduced on the cover of Women's World.

From the 1920s onwards she concentrated largely on street scenes, and in1923 she was commissioned by Sir Baldwin Spencer to undertake a series of paintings of European landmarks, which saw her travelling around Europe for over two years, accompanied by the photographer Pegg Clarke. In 1928 these works were exhibited at the Beaux Arts Gallery, London, and the following year at Australia House. In the early 1930s she focused on historical scenes from Melbourne's history, with an exhibition entitltled 'Milestones of Melbourne' held at the Fine Art Society Gallery in March 1935.

Wilson died of cancer on 21 November 1946 and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery, Melbourne.