The painting titled The Roll Call, exhibited at the 1874 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, drew such large crowds that officials stationed a policeman beside the canvas to maintain order. This success defined the early career of Elizabeth Thompson, an artist who focused on the pathos and heroism of British military campaigns rather than the simple glory of war.
Early Development and Training
Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1846, Elizabeth Southerden Thompson began formal art instruction in 1862 while living in Italy. She enrolled in the Female School of Art in London in 1866. Her early works included watercolours like Bavarian Artillery Going into Action, displayed at the Dudley Gallery in 1867. Following a move to Florence in 1869, she trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti under Giuseppe Bellucci. During this period, she transitioned from religious subjects, such as her 1872 work The Magnificat, toward battle scenes after observing the influence of Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier and Édouard Detaille in Paris.
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Her commitment to military themes solidified with Missing, an 1873 depiction of soldier suffering during the Franco-Prussian War. She gained widespread public acclaim for her realistic portrayal of mud, exhaustion, and the confusion of conflict. While her work aligned with Victorian romanticism for the British Empire, she largely eschewed hand-to-hand combat scenes in favor of atmospheric depictions of troops in action or its aftermath. In 1879, she famously came within two votes of becoming the first female Associate Member of the Royal Academy.
Life as Lady Butler
In 1877, she married British Army officer William Francis Butler and subsequently became known as Lady Butler. Throughout their marriage, she traveled across the British Empire and raised six children, often documenting her experiences. She continued to produce significant canvases such as The Defence of Rorke's Drift and Scotland Forever!. Beyond painting, she wrote an autobiography in 1922 and provided illustrations for works by Thackeray and her sister, the essayist Alice Meynell.
Residency in Ireland and Final Years
Following her husband’s military retirement, the couple settled at Bansha Castle in County Tipperary, Ireland. After becoming a widow in 1910, she remained at the castle until 1922, when she relocated to Gormanston Castle to reside with her daughter Eileen, the Viscountess Gormanston. Many of the watercolours she created during time spent in Palestine were destroyed at a London townhouse during the Second World War. Lady Butler died in 1933 at the age of 86 and was interred at a churchyard in Stamullen.
Fast facts
- Born: 1846, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Died: 1933, Gormanston, Ireland
- Known as: Lady Butler
- Spouse: William Francis Butler
- Sister: Alice Meynell
- Notable work: The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras
- Notable work: The Roll Call
- Notable work: The Defence of Rorke's Drift
Questions readers ask
Did Lady Butler paint scenes of active combat?
She focused on the movements and aftermath of troops, generally avoiding direct depictions of hand-to-hand fighting.
What happened to the watercolours she painted in Palestine?
Most were kept at her daughter's London townhouse for safekeeping and were subsequently destroyed during the Second World War.
Achievements
- Notable work: The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras
