We found her biography.
Her father s family came from Godmanchester, near Huntingdon, Mr. Samworth, like his father, was in the Civil Service.
He was a very good amateur artist, a friend and pupil of old Mr. Gastineau.
Miss Samworth was at first induced to seriously study drawing by Madame Bodichon's example.(They used to play together in Hastings at Brooklands) She had, however, no regular instruction for any length of time.
Having received some lessons from Collingwood Smith, she went for six months to study in Henri Scheffer's studio in Paris (1851-2), with six or seven girls,Spanish, French, and Italian.
He was an amusing, lively old man, who took much pains with his lady pupik.
The instruction was chiefly painting in oils from plaster casts, but instead of using merely brown or black, as is taught in England, the pupils had the whole range of colours given them, blue, red, yellow, etc., and had to combine them, so as to give the local colours of the cast the coloured reflections from surrounding objects, etc.
Henri Scheffer had some very clever pupils, who, although girls under twenty, painted portraits most excellently ; so, probably, the way of instruction was good. The girls took their luncheon, and remained all day. There was a good deal of play as well as study, as the master only visited the students occasionally, for a few minutes at a time; and one afternoon, in the midst of a game of shuttlecock, Ary Scheffer came in with his brother, creating great dismay and consternation.
Sometimes the girls had small pictures of Ary's to copy from, and sometimes living models.
For a short time before this. Miss Samworth attended the Public Drawing School, at that time instructed by Rosa Bonheur and her sister, Madame Perrault.
Rosa Bonheur came twice a week for an hour or two : the rest of the instruction was undertaken by her sister — affectionately regarded by the girls as "very nice," and whose pictures were considered by them worthy of admiration. The instruction
was principally in chalk or charcoal, from the flat or round.
Miss Samworth was much impressed by the talent evidenced by the girls both at this school and at Scheffer's studio : she imagined they showed far more ability than an equal number of English girls.
Miss Samworth also had lessons, two series, from Mr. Skinner Prout, of the Institute of Painters in Water Colours, from which she received much benefit, and from Mr. J. Wilson.
She sent , some water-colour landscapes to the Crystal Palace, and some minor exhibitions, and her first pen-and-ink drawing was exhibited at the Royal
Academy, 1867 — "Fir Trees;" and the next year, "Early Morning." Every year since, she has contributed subjects in pen and ink, except three seasons, once when she was rejected, and twice when she failed to send.
She has for five or six years exhibited at the Dudley — latterly, flowers in water
colours : also pen-and-ink etchings at the Black and White Exhibition.
Her best drawings are, perhaps, " A Summer Evening," hung on the line the year the
Royal Academy removed to Burlington House ; " A Summer Night," the next year at the Academy, also on the line ; and " A Winter Evening," at the Black
and White, 1874. She had two etchings in the first International Exhibition.
Owing to the pressure of many other duties, Miss Samworth has never been able to finish any very large number of drawings.
Her brother, who died at an early age, was considered very talented as an artist.
Exhibition of the Royal Academy
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