[Women - Rights - Cartoon] Claxton, Florence, The Adventures of a Woman in Search of Her Rights

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• Lot Description

  Claxton, Florence (1839-1920?). The Adventures of a Woman in Search of Her Rights. Containing Nearly One Hundred Original Drawings by the Author, Which Have Been Reproduced in Fac-Simile by the Graphotype Process of Engraving. First published in London ca 1870.  This edition published by Lee & Shepard, Boston & New York, ca 1871. Oblong folio pictorial boards, cloth spine; unpaginated; each page with several small cartoons. Rear board with three ads (for household products of the day).

  Florence Claxton was the daughter of Marshall Claxton, a painter who trained his daughters, Florence and Adelaide, in the art. In pursuit of his art, Marshall took his family to Italy, where his first daughter was born and named for her place of birth. The family then moved to Sydney, Australia. The second daughter seems to have been named for the town in that colony, although Adelaide was christened in London in 1841. Marshall became disillusioned with his prospects in the distant colony, so moved his family to Calcutta in 1854. They traveled through Egypt and the Holy Land (apparently staying a short time in each) on their way back to England in 1859. Many of Florence's later drawings are of sights in these remote lands that came from her early memories.

  Upon their return, Florence and her father petitioned the Royal Academy of Arts to admit women, an early encounter with equal rights for the young woman. She spent most of her career illustrating books and magazines, and became the first woman to produce a woodblock cut for publication. Adelaide followed suit, illustrating magazines as well as exhibiting her own works. Both sisters had similar styles, and sometimes worked together, often caricaturing British society. Adelaide is described as being a bit more acerbic than her older sister. (daao)

  In 1868 Florence married "Mr. Farrington of Romsey" and the couple appears to have taken up residence in Paris. She withdrew for the most part from the artistic scene, although occasionally exhibited, mainly with the Society of Women Artists. The Adventures of a Woman in Search of Her Rights was her last book, a satirical view of the role of women, Claxton's "heroine," if one can call her that, pursues a traditional male education. The act of reading John Stuart Mill destroys her looks. Since she is now ugly, she must make her way as first a lawyer, then a politician, and finally a doctor, failing at all professions. She then emigrates to the United States, and marries the polygamous leader of the Latter Day Saints, Brigham Young. The last two illustrations are of a letter to "Mrs. Brigham Young," and a young (beautiful) woman asleep, thinking, "Thank goodness it's only a midsummer night's dream and I'm not emancipated."

  In 1880 Claxton-Farrington emerges as a painter on china as that style achieved its maximum popularity. It is uncertain whether financial need drove her to this craft, or if it was just an occasional endeavor. At the time most china artists were paid by "awards" given in competitions or philanthropic exhibitions. This created a category of painters that styled themselves as amateurs, yet received some remuneration. It is possible that Florence saw this as a more appropriate venue in which a married woman should paint than the publication work in which she had previously engaged. In addition, painted china was intended to beautify the home - giving it a feminine character. (Hadjiafxendi, et al., 2016: 118)

  Although she appears to have attempted to balance the traditional women's role with a degree of unorthodoxy, in her final act, she committed suicide in 1920. According to a newspaper report of the event, she was not willing to compromise her independence in the face of age and decreasing income.

  References:

  Hadjiafxendi, Kyriaki and Patricia Zakareski. Crafting the Woman Professional in the Long Nineteenth Century: Artistry and Industry in Britain. Routledge, 2016: 118-119.

  "Aged Widow's Suicide.' Isle of Wight Chronicle, 6 May 1920: 5, as cited in Hadjiafxendi, p. 118.

  Florence Claxton biography in Design & Art Australia Online (daao.org.au/bio/florence-claxton/biography), accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

  Wikipedia, Florence Claxton, accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

  Condition

  Slight scuffing of boards, wear to head and foot of spine. Sight surface soil.
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