Oakley, Agnes Elizabeth (1864 - 1942 )

Born in Prahran, Melbourne, Vic., on 26 June 1864; died at Malvern, Melbourne, 30 August 1942.

Daughter of George Haswell Oakley and Emma Hooker, both born in the UK.

Agnes never married. Friends called her Lizzie.

In the family-tree of the McLean/Fletcher family online, her occupation is listed as "floral artist".

In August 1923 a 28-page hard-cover book was published and authored by Edward A. Vidler titled: 'An Australian Flower Painter: A. E. Oakley'.
It included nine colour plates separately printed and glued onto the appropriate captioned pages (right), and lavish praise:

"Miss A. E. Oakley, a native of Melbourne, has given a great deal of attention in her art to the painting of our native plants, and has been wise in choosing the specially suitable medium of water-colour for their representation, and has, moreover, shown equal wisdom in adopting a style which is at once delicate and free. Her tone values, her brilliant yet harmonious colour, and her unfailing decorative sense and artistic restraint at once avoid the pitfalls of over-elaboration and a scorn of essential detail. A sympathetic knowledge of the character and natural growth of our flowers gives them a fidelity that is never slavish, and her decorative sense and technical efficiency avoid the difficulties inherent in many of her subjects. They represent the flowers as they are seen growing in their natural state or disposed in vases for their decorative beauty."

She painted impressionist seascapes as well as flower paintings.

Exhibitions: Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors in the 1920s and 1930s.

References to Oakley exhibitions in Melbourne newspapers:

4 June 1917	Argus	A flower painter
3 Dec 1919	Argus	Womans's Art Club exhibition
11 Nov 1920	Argus	Exhibition of paintings
17 Aug 1921	Argus	Art exhibition
18 Oct 1921	Herald	Miss Oakley's art
19 Oct 1921	Age	Art Notes
19 Oct 1921	Argus	Exhibitions of paintings
29 Oct 1921	Australasian	The Studio - Miss A. E. Oakley
17 May 1927	Argus	Exhibition of paintings
9 Oct 1929	Argus	Women's Art Club
1 Oct 1930	Argus	Art exhibitions
6 Oct 1937	Argus	Flowers and paintings vie at exhibition
3 Oct 1939	Argus	The world of women

Indexes: VSL Arts Library, index to Australian biography

Source: Extracted from: Vidler, E.A. (1923) 'An Australian Flower Painter: A. E. Oakley', Edward A. Vidler, Melbourne.
A series of TROVE searches, newspapers etc.
McLean/Fletcher Family Tribalpages website: https://www.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=scenic2&view=0&pid=1408&ver=173
Ambrus, Caroline (1984) 'The Ladies' Picture Show: sources on a Century of Australian women artists', Hale & Iremonger, Sydney.