Painted in 1930, this portrait of Mrs Montgomery belongs to Melbourne’s interwar period, when impressionistic approaches remained popular even as new modernist styles were beginning to take hold. Josephine’s loose brushwork and assured handling of colour give the work a freshness distinct from her more traditional portraits of earlier decades.
The two women shared strong ties within Melbourne’s artistic circles. May had trained at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School and pursued a wide range of creative interests – painting, costume design and crafting theatrical masks.
In 1907, May married William Montgomery, whom she met through the family of Frederick McCubbin. William was a leading stained-glass artist in Melbourne and served as President of the Victorian Artists Society from 1912 to 1917.
The couple raised two children, Anne and Richard, both of whom inherited their parents’ artistic instincts. Richard worked in pottery, while Anne became a distinguished printmaker, muralist and lecturer, extending the family’s creative legacy into another generation.
Image courtesy of Leonard Joel.
