BURR
The British painter Anne-Margaretta Burr or Margaretta Higford Burr (1817-1892), daughter of admiral Edward Scobell, travelled to Spain, Italy, Sicily and the East. She mainly composed watercolours. In 1844 Burr was in Cairo with her husband, Daniel Higford Davall Burr, and subsequently visited Syria, Jerusalem and Constantinople. In 1846 she published an album of her watercolours, with landscapes of the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece and Spain. Instead of a signature there is a miniature drawing of an owl and a flower pot. Her works also circulated in lithographed plates.
Several of Burr's works were published by Arundel Society, and she also exhibited her paintings for charity purposes. From 1859 to 1882 she was honorary member of the Society of Women Artists. She also accompanied the renowned English politician, archaeologist and cuneiformist Austen Henry Layard in his travels in Egypt and Turkey. In her travels, she created a number of paintings (drawings and watercolours). After her husband's death, Anne-Margaretta settled in Venice.
Her watercolours were done in vivid colours and great detail, especially with regard to the faces, costumes and architectural features. In contrast, the lithographs based on her works follow the technique and aesthetics of the time, and render the views somewhat hazily.
Written by Ioli Vingopoulou
