User:Digicompemmamarren

Career

Education

Margaret Allen, a female Royal Hibernian Academy(RHA) member, was not only an artist who focused on depicting the social climate of her era but also a pioneering figure in Dublin's early female commercial photography scene. Her proficiency in photography not only supported her artistry but enabled her to enhance her photographic works with her artistic abilities. Renowned for her artistry, Margaret Allen built a reputation with her portraits, which consistently found acceptance in the RHA exhibitions during the summer. While specifics regarding her art education remain uncertain, the calibre of her later paintings implies a level of formal academic training.

Breaking Societal Norms

Despite the societal norms that deemed it inappropriate for middle-class women like Margaret to engage in activities outside their homes, she persisted in managing her drawing and painting academy. Annually, she showcased portraits of children at the RHA exhibitions while overseeing her business. In the Irish Times and Daily Advertiser, she described M. Allen and Co. as a 'Studio for Children and Animals.' Comparing an early photograph from the studio to later child photographs, it's evident that Margaret shifted from the initial stiff and conservative approach, mimicking the formal full-length portrait style standard in early photography. Instead, she embraced a more informal and romantic style. This new approach featured a soft focus, reminiscent of the technique popularised by Victorian photographer, Julia Cameron (1815–79). , whose work Allen would likely have known and drawn inspiration from.

Oils and Watercolours

In an advertisement published in the Irish Times in 1874, she advertised offering 'Enlargements painted in oils and watercolors.' By 1868, projecting images onto photo-sensitized canvas was feasible, serving as a foundation for watercolor, pastel, or oil portraits or for painting over photographic photos affixed to the canvas. Even though there's no direct proof of Allen employing this technique, she probably used photographs on paper enlargements to aid her drawings. The rise in popularity of photographic portraits signaled a shift from portraiture with hyper-realism to a more moderate style, emphasizing the authenticity of the painter's skills. This evolution is evident in Allen's painting "Listening to the Birds" (1873).