We visit with an artist not known for watercolours but as a designer of pottery for Wedgwood. #AdaLouisePowell (nee Lessore) was born in 1882. She was the daughter of an artist and studied embroidery, calligraphy, and illuminating. She and her husband, Alfred Powell, became celebrated designers for Wedgwood. They not only painted thousands of pieces for #Wedgwood, they also trained many apprentice painters to produce the works they designed. Indeed Ada came from good artistic stock. Her father was #JulesFrederickLessore and her grandfather was #ÉmileLessore – a designer and painter for Wedgwood during e 1860’s. Her sister Thérèse was a very fine painter in oils and watercolours ( in some ways this work identifies better with Thérèse than Louise) and was married to #WalterSickert (of Camden Town Group fame). Her brother Frederick Lessore was a sculptor and founder of the Beaux Arts Gallery in London.

The image we look at is part of #CanterburyCathedralcrypt and in particular the #ChapeloftheHolyInnocents. The watercolour is not signed on the face but reads ‘Canterbury’ ‘Louise Powell’ on the verso. The age of the paper tells me it comes from the early 1900’s. So, I cannot definitely attribute this painting to Louise Powell but she certainly was a fine enough artist to have produced this work.