Mary Elizabeth Stormont (nee. Sapsworth)(1871-1962)

Written by Isabelle Manser

Mary Elizabeth Sapsworth was born in Hackney London on 2nd January 1871 to George Sapsworth, a leather merchant, and Elizabeth Deur. In 1898 she married fellow artist Howard Gull Stormont (1859-1935). The marriage was against the wishes of her parents as they believed it was unfitting for Mary to marry someone who was her senior and a practicing artist. Howard and Mary eventually eloped to Rye where they married at St Mary’s Church. They settled at Ypres Studio on Ockman Lane.

She helped found the Rye Art Club in the 1920s with her husband Howard other artists all under the patronage of the author Henry James. The club helped to expand Mary’s connections, which led to her regular exhibitions. Whilst at the club she helped to organise exhibitions at the Henry James studio Mary frequently exhibited her artwork most notably at the Royal Academy throughout her lifetime. She debuted there in 1899 with her oil paining ‘A Wayside Inn’ and contributed to a least 17 exhibitions until 1940. At this 1940 exhibition she presented one of her signature flower paintings ‘Flower-piece’ .At some of these Royal Academy Exhibitions she was accompanied by Howard who was also exhibiting his paintings. Other locations at which her work has been exhibited include the Bruton Galleries (London), the Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool), the Royal Institute and the Ridley Art Club.

Ypres Studio hosted artists from both the local area and from across the UK and Europe. It was through this that she formed a close bond with her neighbour and fellow artist Eileen Eason. The

studio helped with the emergence of local artists. In particular Mary and Eileen advocated for up-and-coming female artists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, art was a heavily male dominated field. For men, they were give many opportunities to present their work professionally, whereas for women it was merely seen as a hobby and so becoming prominent in the field even locally was a challenge.

Mary was widowed aged 64 after Howard’s death in 1935, which after a happy marriage that supported each other's artistic endeavours had a significant impact on her. Despite this she

continued to live and work at Ypres Studio.

In 1957 with the help of Eileen Eason (who lived at 107 High Street) and the family Lawyer Peter Herbertson, The Rye Art Gallery Trust was founded. The Trust was formed with Rye’s community in mind hoping to preserve its rich artistic history which Mary actively contributed to throughout her lifetime.

Following the deaths of Mary and Eileen, both Ypres Studio and 107 High Street were bequeathed to the trust along with a collection of approximately 100 artworks from the Stormont’s collections. This bequeathment formed the foundations for the modern day gallery and its permanent collection .The first exhibition the Gallery hosted was in June 1965.

Mary’s artistic style included paintings of flowers, interiors and landscapes using oil and watercolours. Her collections of flowers depict arrangements of flowers in jugs or vases. She also

depicted medieval style scenes of women such as in ‘Lady in medieval dress’ ‘Recollections’ ‘Rosamund’ and ‘Ye Days of Cunning Stitcherie’. It is reflected in her works such as ‘The Mermaid Inn’ that Mary had an affinity for Rye and the East Sussex area. These landscapes provide an insight into the agricultural and maritime life of the locals during the early and mid 20th century. As well as painting Mary was a keen photographer and regularly depicted women around Rye and its beaches.

Fair Rosamund by Mary Stormont

This painting depicts the head and shoulders of a young woman looking right wearing a red dress and a blue pendant necklace. The painting is oil on panel. It formed part of the Stormont Bequest 1962. The woman is depicted as being from the medieval age. Its

frame is reflective of the Arts and crafts movement of the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods which Mary Stormont is

associated with. This movement came about as a rejection of industrialism and favoured traditional hand crafted techniques. The

medievalism movement inspired some artists within this genre as Stormont may have been when painting Rosamund.

Ye Days of Cunning Stitcherie by Mary Stormont

This painting depicts a medieval woman in a blue dress and horned headpiece made from white fabric extending to just below

the waist. She sits at a small table covered with green fabric. She is partaking in embroidery on a frame. Behind her is a large tapestry. The tapestry depicted is of a typical medieval style. In it the faces of six people (three women, three men) are clearly

shown. Of the six people there are two standing men on the left of the scene, two women who seem to be in discussion in the middle of the scene. The gazes of these people appear to be directed at the seated man and woman. The seated woman looks to her right likely at the man while the seated man looks to his left either back to the woman or at the surrounding crowd. This poses the question of whether the tapestry is depicting a gathering at which the seated figures are the hosts. This is a watercolour.

Orchids by Mary Stormont

This painting depicts an arrangement of white and orange orchids extending out to the right of a vase the top of which is only visible.

It is set behind a dark blue background that gradients in shade near the top of the painting. There is a small insect possibly a bee in the bottom right corner. This painting is oil on board.

Little Blue Blind by Mary Stormont self portrait in Ypres studio

This painting depicts a lady, likely Mary Stormont herself, in a blue patterned dress with red flowers in her hair. She is looking down to the left at some papers. A geranium pot sits in the left corner of the foreground. Behind her a slightly translucent blue blind covers the lower portion of the windows. Just above the blind the roof of building can be seen outside the window. It is possible that this

partial view is of the surrounding buildings in Rye. This is a watercolour.