Well-known for her sophisticated portraits of assured, commanding women,
Violet Teague’s elegant and vivacious painting of charity worker, arts
patron and feminist Mary Chomley OBE (1872–1960) was considered a
stand-out when shown in a solo exhibition held at the Guild Hall in
Melbourne in 1909. Chomley was founder of the Victorian Arts and Crafts
Society, where she met Teague, and secretary of the committee who
organised the First Australian Exhibition of Women’s Work in
Melbourne in 1907, now considered a landmark event in the history of
women’s art in Australia. After travelling to England in June 1914,
Chomley was prevented from returning home by the outbreak of the First
World War. She threw herself into work: teaching English to refugees and
volunteering at the Robert Lindsay Memorial Hospital for Officers. In
1916 she joined the Australian Red Cross, coordinating a team of
volunteers to distribute thousands of parcels to Australian prisoners of
war, who described her as the ‘divine angel of mercy’. Remaining in
London after the armistice, Chomley worked with organisations
investigating working conditions and opportunities for British immigrant
women in Australia. She returned permanently to Melbourne in 1934,
resuming her work with the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship
and the Arts and Crafts Society.
Purchased with the assistance of funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AC 2021
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Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a
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