Kate Bisschop-Swift

Kate Bisschop-Swift
Bisschop-Swift in 1902
Born	April 6, 1834 London, England
Died	May 16, 1928 (aged 94) The Hague, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Occupation	Painter

Catharina Seaton Foreman Bisschop-Swift, known as Kate (1834-1928) was an English-born Dutch painter, known primarily for her domestic scenes and still-lifes.

Biography

She was largely self-taught. In the late 1860s, she took some lessons from the Dutch painter, Christoffel Bisschop. They were married in January 1869, and she went with him to the Netherlands. They lived in Scheveningen at a villa named "Frisia", although she worked mostly in Leeuwarden.^[1]

In 1874, together with Gerardina Jacoba van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Sientje van Houten and Margaretha Roosenboom, she painted the "Haagse weeskinderen" (Hague Orphans), as a gift for Queen Sophie on the occasion of the 25th jubilee or Sophie's husband, King William III. Two years later, she was a co-founder of the Hollandsche Teekenmaatschappij; exhibiting regularly throughout The Hague as well as at the Stedelijk Museum.^[2]

Her husband died in 1904. She was named an honorary member of the "Royal Frisian Society for History and Culture" in 1914. After her death, her remaining works and belongings were transferred from her villa to the Fries Museum. This included a large selection of jewelry given to her by various European sovereigns.^[3]

Selected paintings

• 
  The Hague Orphans
• 
  Old Woman and Child Reading
• 
  On the Balcony
• 
  Dutch Interior with Four Figures
• 
  The Painter's Widow

References

1. Profile @ the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie.
2. Listing @ Documentatie van Beeldende Kunst in Zuid-Holland.
3. "Bisschop-sieraden in kijkkast Fries Museum" @ De Krant van Toen.

Further reading

• Hanna Klarenbeek, Penseelprinsessen & broodschilderessen: Vrouwen in de beeldende kunst 1808-1913, (exhibition catalog), Thoth, 2012 ISBN 90-686-8588-0

External links

• Arcadja Auctions: More works by Bisschop-Swift.
• Obituary @ Friesland Zoals het Was.