A rejection of Margaret Allen’s nascent political voice in conservative Victorian society prompted her return to uncontroversial subjects, writes Derville Murphy
The first female honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1878 was Margaret Allen (1832-1914) who achieved this important status twelve years prior to Sarah Purser.¹ She was also the first Irish female artist to tackle nationalist issues in her paintings. Despite these two important achievements, the artist Margaret Allen remains relatively unknown. In his Dictionary of Irish Artists, Theo Snoddy concluded that “information on her family and art training is sadly lacking”. However, recent research has shed new light on Margaret Allen’s life which allows a deeper understanding of her work and the courage she displayed in the subjects she tackled.
