Relatives who liked to paint - Aunty Mim

Updated:  my cousin has advised me the artist of the homework book was my Aunt Mim, so I have updated the post accordingly :)

My blog is a good place to keep snippets that interest me and maybe, one day,  my relatives will like to look.  If you don't want to read all the detail here, just skip along, scan the pics and I won't mind a bit.

The artist who created the lovely pictures below around 100 years ago was my grandfather Jute's sister, Mim.  Her mother died in labour so the older sisters cared for the younger ones.  Their father (on the left here) was a painter and decorator, they all lived in a tiny two bedroom house behind Castle Park in Colchester.



My cousin sent me a box of memorabilia as I am now to be the custodian of these things.  Inside was a school homework book belonging to my grandfathers sister, Mim.  These beautiful pictures of her sisters were created nearly 100 years ago when she was 15, the pages are all dated 1925.  I feel privileged to have them.

She was clearly a gifted child.  I am told she had some painting lessons as a teenager, and they certainly paid off.  You can see she understood how to paint light and shadow.

I think this was her older sister May, a very striking brunette.  The hat is impressive (difficult to draw).

Mim was a nurse and midwife.  She was much loved by my brothers and I and her advice on bringing up our babies was followed, to the letter!   I have all her nursing medals.  She got to meet the Queen, I will add the picture when I find it.

much loved Aunt Mim

 Although I had not seen this one painted in the 1990s and we never painted together,  it would seem I have inherited something of her style as it's similar to one I did a couple of years ago, on my sidebar.

Other treasure in the box was a collection of letters from the Sisters to each other during the 1920s which gave some insight into where my paternal family all lived (Colchester and Mersea Island). 

Aunt Mim kept journals, I have one with all her thoughts hopes and dreams, she painted and stuck pictures in often...

My family have a bench in the park at Colchester which has the names of everyone who has passed on.  We had a reunion there once, the local papers did an article, here.

My grandparents lived at Oriel House in Hilperton, he was an architect, having started as an apprentice and dogsbody at 14 and as an adult designed pubs for Ushers brewery throughout Wiltshire.

Above is my mother and father Mike and Evie on their wedding day at Oriel House. (she wore a white dress with red polka dots, very daring and all the aunts disapproved).

Above is Aunt Mim's school leaver report, the head master wrote 'she does not suffer from any over self-estimation'.

Oriel House was not kept in the family as my grandmother left it to charity after a family dispute.  However it features in the film on my blog sidebar of my Great Aunt Olives wedding, an imposing building, previously owned by the Royal Treasurer no less in years gone by.

My handsome grandad with his sisters (minus little John of course)

My grandad, giving Aunty Olive away on her wedding day in 1939 at Oriel House



A lovely bit of treasure and some wonderful art from a family of brothers and sisters who loved to paint.  I am glad I do too.