Gartside, Mary (1754/5–1819)

Gartside, Mary (1754/5–1819), flower painter, teacher of art, and writer on colour, was born in the last weeks of 1754 or, more likely, in 1755. Her date and place of birth, and parentage are not known, though she appears to have grown up in or near Manchester. She was a teacher of watercolour to young women, probably in Lancashire and London, but she also had professional connections in Cheshire and Liverpool. Between 1805 and 1808 Gartside published three books on colour and colour theory, ostensibly presented as watercolour painting manuals for ladies.<p></p>