By Roselyn Fauth
"What if one of New Zealand’s most celebrated artists owed her international success not just to her own brilliance, but to a mother whose name barely appears in the record books?". Taken at Cranmore Lodge, on the hills above Dunedin, in February 1892. Shows Isabel Hodgkins (holding Japanese sunshade), William Mathew and Rachael Hodgkins (seated), William Field (on ground). Photograph taken by Cower.http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23052643, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29682064 Public Domain
What if one of New Zealand’s most celebrated artists owed her international success not just to her own brilliance, but to a mother whose name barely appears in the record books? While Frances Hodgkins dazzled the European art world, her mother Rachel held the family together back in Dunedin... through bankruptcy, widowhood, and raising creative, capable daughters and sons in a society that I suspect didn’t expect women to become professional artists.
In a world where so many women’s contributions are overlooked or forgotten, I found myself asking: what legacy does a mother leave behind? And how might Frances Hodgkins’s path have been different without her mother Rachel?
I love the Aigantighe. In my early 20s, I joined the Friends of Aigantighe and have been a gallery supporter and volunteer for over 20 years. The collection is seriously impressive, and there are so many artworks that I could say were my favourite. From a lens as a female artist myself, Frances Hodgkins’s modernist paintings in the copllection have always caught my eye, although I need to confess I didn’t really know that much about her until a YouTube video was shared to Facebook by a friend. The story prompted me to reflect on a recent visit to the Dunedin Art Gallery. Our girls proudly brought home a free poster of Frances’s watercolour artwork Summer c1912, which is now pride of place by daughter’s bunks. I hope that the artwork on the wall that features a woman and two children, will inspire our kids to love art and create their own legacy, just like Frances Hodgkins.
I was curious: who was she, why is she celebrated, and what environment nurtured her and inspired her to create? I was also curious if she had ties or connections to Timaru. And, perhaps most of all, I wondered about the women who raised her... the mother who often lingers in the margins of Frances’s story. This is what I have learned so far... with a few side quests...
1890s A portrait of Frances Hodgkins, who sits outside on a chair, wearing a straw boater, and holding a parasol. Her brother-in-law, William Hughes Field, lies on the ground behind her. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23219758, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29681249
Frances Hodgkins: An artist ahead of her time
Frances Mary Hodgkins (28 April 1869 – 13 May 1947) was born in Dunedin. She became a modernist painter and one of New Zealand’s most influential artists. She studied at the Dunedin School of Art, worked as an art teacher to support herself, and eventually travelled to Europe in 1901.
Frances lived much of her life overseas, painting in England, France, and beyond. She joined artistic circles with names like Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore, exhibited in major galleries, and was invited to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale. Her bold use of colour and simplified forms made her one of the leading figures in British modernism.
Yet before all of this, she grew up in a family deeply rooted in the arts, and that’s where her mother Rachel comes in.
This website has a fantastic resource to see artworks by Frances: https://completefranceshodgkins.com/explore
Rachel Owen Hodgkins: Steady hands in an unsteady world
Rachel Owen Hodgkins (née Parker) (c.1839–1926) was born in Sydney, Australia, the daughter of John Skottowe Parker, a coroner. She married William Mathew Hodgkins (1833–1898), an English-born lawyer and passionate watercolourist who emigrated to New Zealand. Together they built a family in Dunedin and raised six children, including Frances and her older sister Isabel, who also became a painter.
William was a huge force in Dunedin’s art scene, founding the Otago Art Society in 1875 and helping to establish the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in 1884. For a time, they lived comfortably in Royal Terrace, one of the city’s best addresses.
But things changed quickly. In 1888, William was declared bankrupt. Records don’t give all the details, but it seems his law practice struggled financially at a time when the economy was tight, and like many professionals in Dunedin after the gold rush, he overextended himself. The family had to leave their grand house and move to a small cottage in Ravensbourne.
Ten years later, William died suddenly, leaving Rachel widowed at 59, with little money and several children still dependent on her.
Left: Frances Hodgkins as an Infant 1869. E H McCormick Papers, E H McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Linda Gill, 2015. RIGHT: Letters from Frances Hodgkins. Field, Isabel Jane, 1867-1950 : Correspondence of Frances Hodgkins and family / collected by Isabel Field. Ref: MS-Papers-0085-01. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22561841
12 Apr 1881, Dearest Mother
I am so sorry that I have not written to you before this, but I really could not help it. I was going to write on Sunday night, but just as I was going to do so some gentlemen came in. I forgot to tell you that this was down at Mrs Royse’s. Did you get Mrs Royse’s letter that she wrote to you she did not quite know the address, so I don’t know whether you got it. I am sorry to say I have broken a little bit off my tooth, in a tumble I had. I will tell you how it happened. On Monday morning we were all playing in the garden, when Mr Royse came out and went into the conservatory to water the plants, then we went in too, Mr Royse began to water us instead of the plants then all of a sudden he dodged and ran after me, and I bolted of [out] of the door, but just as I was going through my feet skipped and I fell on my face and knocked half of my tooth out, and cut my lip a little. I did not go to school that day because my mouth hurt a little. You must not think it much because it is not.
I hope you are enjoying yourself very much. Will you be back for my birthday. Willie is coming down on the 22 of this month & not going to wait for you. Give my love to all our cousins and dear Grandpapa and everybody.
Aunt Bella let us all go to the Beach on Saturday because it was such a fine day. The little Royse’s went with us. I must not write too much, because I have to go to bed directly or else I will get a bad mark. Although I think Aunt Bella is only pretending to give us bad marks, because I found out that she only puts down all the money she spends, and the things she buys. I truly must say goodnight now because I am afraid of a bad mark, so good night darling mother give my best love to papa and tell him I am going to write to him next time, all the little ones are exceedingly good and send the love.
I remain your
Very goodest daughter
F Hodgkins
p.s. Did you have a nice voyage over and make haste and come home
How did Frances find her way as an artist?
Frances grew up in a home filled with art. Her father encouraged her and Isabel to draw and paint, but it was Rachel who kept things running when the bottom fell out financially. Through the upheaval of bankruptcy, a house move, and William’s death, Rachel would have had to create the stability for her children.
Frances’s early artistic path really got going in New Zealand, where she first exhibited in 1890 with the Otago Art Society. In 1895, she won a prize for Head of an Old Woman, a moment of recognition that helped cement her confidence. Italian painter Girolamo Nerli was another important influence. His Impressionist techniques and looser style pushed Frances to experiment beyond her father’s more traditional approach and gave her a taste of what was happening in European art circles.
Determined to go further, Frances worked as an art teacher in Dunedin and Wellington, I suspect it was this income that she would have saved to enable her to travel. Teaching would have given her financial independence and professional credibility, which I am learning was rare for women at the time. I wonder if she went it alone, or if she built friendships with other creative women, perhaps Dorothy Kate Richmond, whose companionship could have given her the courage to live and work independently in Europe.
Side Quest: When I was learning about Timaru Girls’ High School’s history, I came across a list of rules that employed female teachers had to follow. One of them stated that women teachers had to be unmarried, and if they wanted to marry, they were required to resign. It struck me that Frances, who also taught to support herself, would have been bound by similar expectations. I wonder if this culture contributed to why she never married. Did she feel that staying single was the only way to keep her independence, travel freely, and pursue her art without the constraints that marriage often imposed on women at that time?
Frances left for Europe in 1901 and by 1903 achieved an early milestone: her painting Fatima was accepted “on the line” at London’s Royal Academy, making her the first New Zealander to do so. After returning briefly to New Zealand to teach and save again, she left in 1906 determined to stay overseas permanently. It was a bold move, especially for a woman of her time.
All through this, Frances leaned heavily on her mother. She wrote to Rachel from Europe, sharing her struggles and successes, and even when Rachel had seemed to have little funds herself, she still sent small sums of money and encouragement. I think that, this steady, loving foundation gave Frances the freedom to take risks, stay unmarried, and build a career in art that would eventually place her among Britain’s leading modernists. I can’t help but think: without Rachel’s grounding presence, would Frances have ever had the stability and confidence to step so far out into the world?
Frances Hodgkins and members of the painting class she held at St Valery-sur-Somme France nlnzimage-Eric Hall McCormick collection 1906-1995 Photographs
Frances and independence
Frances never married or had children, which was unusual for women in her time. Instead, she focused on her art. She taught, exhibited locally, and eventually left for Europe. There she reinvented herself and became part of a modernist movement that changed the art world.
I think about Rachel watching her daughters grow into independent women in a world that didn’t expect it. Did she feel proud? Did she see their talent as her late husband’s influence, or her own strength in keeping the family afloat? Probably both.
Links to Timaru
While Frances didn’t live in Timaru, her story connects with our region. The South Canterbury Art Society was founded in 1895, not long after Dunedin’s art scene was thriving. When the Aigantighe Art Gallery opened in 1956, it fulfilled the same dream of making art part of everyday life. Today, Aigantighe’s collection includes works by Frances Hodgkins, bringing her legacy right here to our community.
When I look at Frances’s paintings in the gallery, I see more than just an artist’s hand. I see the family who nurtured her, the mother who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and the challenges that shaped them.
Rachel’s legacy
Frances’s story is often told as one of talent and determination, but I think it is also about Rachel. She emigrated from Sydney, built a home in a young colonial city, endured her husband’s bankruptcy and early death, and still managed to raise children who became leaders in art.
How many legacies like this rest on women whose names we barely remember? Rachel’s life reminds me of so many women in South Canterbury’s history: steady, practical, and resilient, even when life turned upside down.
So, while we celebrate Frances Hodgkins for her bold, modern paintings, I think we should also remember Rachel Owen Hodgkins, whose love and endurance shaped a daughter who carried New Zealand’s name onto the world stage.
1890s Rachel Owen Hodgkins mother of Frances Hodgkins with a book in her hand. nlnzimage Eric Hall McCormick collection 1906-1995 Photographs
E H McCormick Papers, E H McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Linda Gill, 2015 https://completefranceshodgkins.com/objects/28141/portrait-of-frances-mary-hodgkins-painting-at-an-easel-in-her-studio-in-bowen-street
For the first thirty years of her life Frances Hodgkins lived in Dunedin. From 1900 when she moved to Wellington with her mother. Frances Hodgkins was interres at Waikanae Cemetery, Ngārara Road. Died in Dorchester, England 13th May 1947, aged 78 Years. Photo by Unknown author - http://dunedin.art.museum/exhibitionimages/%7BB50DEC0A-3553-46DB-9DE5-D912D6B3F0D4%7D.jpg Originally uploaded at English Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frances_Hodgkins.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10087765
By not stated - http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23219758, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29681249
Dunedin Art Gallery, ca 1890s. Photographer: William Williams. Reference number: 1/2-140665-G. Section from a stereographic dry plate glass negative. Photographic Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23024326 from the http://natlib.govt.nz National Library NZ on The Commons, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
Side Quest: What might have drawn William to Dunedin?
When William Mathew Hodgkins left Australia around 1859, Melbourne was booming from the gold rush. Its population had exploded from 77,000 in 1851 to over 500,000 by 1861, but it was crowded, noisy and expensive. Work was competitive, especially for professionals like William, and while there was plenty of wealth, there was also inequality, social unrest and the displacement of Indigenous Australians. I can see why Dunedin, smaller and newer, might have felt like a fresh start. It had its own gold discoveries and opportunities, and rather than competing in Melbourne’s crowded scene, William could help shape a city that was still finding its feet.
William’s family had emigrated to Melbourne between 1856 and 1858, and he followed them out, sailing on the White Star in 1859. His parents and sister Jane were already there, so joining them must have given him stability in a new country. But just a few years later, around 1862, he left Melbourne and headed for Dunedin, likely drawn by its promise and the chance to be part of something new.
When he arrived in Dunedin, the population was only about 15,000 to 20,000. But it grew fast, surging to 56,000 by 1874 as the Otago gold rush transformed it into New Zealand’s richest city. That rush of wealth built big houses, businesses and civic institutions like universities, churches, libraries and even art galleries. I imagine it must have attracted ambitious people who wanted more than just gold, people keen to create a community with culture, education and civic pride.
But it is important to remember that this growth happened on land belonging to mana whenua. KāiTahu and other local iwi had deep connections to this place long before settlers arrived. The gold rush and rapid development pushed Māori communities further to the edges, both physically and politically. I think about that when I look at careers like William’s. His work as a lawyer probably included land sales and titles tied up in that shift, and it reminds me that the building of a colonial city often came at the cost of others.
Still, I wonder if it felt exciting to be part of that wave of educated settlers who wanted to make Dunedin more than just a frontier town. I know I would have loved the idea of shaping a place with art, music and ideas as well as industry. The fact that Dunedin established New Zealand’s first university and first public art gallery shows how strong that civic pride was. In my mind, as well as William being a lawyer, he was part a group working to bring culture to a growing city.
By the 1880s though, things had changed. The gold was gone, the economy tightened, and there were too many lawyers chasing too little work. It’s easier to see now how William, despite his passion and community spirit, ended up bankrupt in 1888. Dunedin had changed, and families like the Hodgkins felt the pinch.
"I think culture mattered to families like the Hodgkins living in Dunedin because it turned a fast-growing gold rush town into a place with depth and identity. It gave people something beyond survival or wealth – a sense of pride, belonging and legacy. For settlers like William and his family, building galleries, libraries and universities was probably more than status, they likely believed they were creating a community with soul. That focus on culture shaped Frances’s world and helped her become the artist we still celebrate today.
When I think about legacy in this context, I see the same thing in Timaru. The Aigantighe Art Gallery carries that same vision – turning our town into more than just a place to live. It gives us connection, identity and a cultural heartbeat, just like Dunedin’s art scene did for the Hodgkins. Their focus on art and ideas still echoes, and I see that same legacy living on here through the Aigantighe."
- Roselyn Fauth
Side Quest: Meet the Family
William Mathew Hodgkins (1833–1898). Born in Liverpool, England. Lawyer, watercolour artist, and founder of the Otago Art Society and Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Declared bankrupt in 1888 and died in 1898.
Rachel Owen Hodgkins (née Parker) (c.1839–1926). Born in Sydney, Australia. Married William in Dunedin in 1865. Held the family together through bankruptcy and widowhood, raising six children in an art-filled home.
Their Children:
Isabel Jane Hodgkins (later Field) (1867–1950). Watercolour painter known for landscapes and florals. Married William Hughes Field (MP for Otaki) in 1893 and moved to Wellington.
Frances Mary Hodgkins (1869–1947). Modernist painter who became one of New Zealand’s most celebrated artists and a leading figure in British Modernism.
William (Willie) Hodgkins (dates unknown). Stayed in Dunedin and was often mentioned in Frances’s letters. Helped manage family affairs after their father’s death.
John Hodgkins (dates unknown). Less documented, but appears in family correspondence as living in New Zealand.
Henry Hodgkins (dates unknown). Mentioned in Frances’s letters, believed to have worked in clerical or business roles.
Bertram (Bertie) Hodgkins (dates unknown). The youngest brother, also noted in Frances’s letters, reportedly worked in commercial fields.
By William Mathew Hodgkins - https://collection.sarjeant.org.nz/explore, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=96525273 Public Domain
Side Quest: Why did William Lose His Business
In 1888, when William Mathew Hodgkins was declared bankrupt, and I was curious as to why. New Zealand was deep in what’s known as the Long Depression. This was a period of economic downturn that began in the late 1870s and lasted through the 1890s. Dunedin, once booming from the Otago gold rush, was feeling the effects of falling wool prices, declining gold output, and shrinking overseas investment.
The colonial government had borrowed heavily for Julius Vogel’s "Public Works" expansion in the 1870s, and was cutting back on spending, which also reduced jobs and wages.
New Zealand’s banking sector was shaken during this period. While the major collapse happened slightly later with the Bank of New Zealand crisis in 1894, there were earlier financial pressures. Smaller banks faced liquidity problems during the 1880s, and credit was tight. Property speculation crashed, leaving many professionals and small business owners, probably like Williamm in a difficult position and unable to recover.
Many families like the Hodgkins, who had once been relatively comfortable, probably found themselves struggling to stay afloat. Middle-class professionals, especially those in law and small business, were hit hard. I imagine, William, who had juggled a legal career with his passion for art and advocacy, was likely stretched thin financially, especially as the city’s fortunes declined and legal work dried up.
It wasn't just New Zealand who felt the pinch. The financial panic of 1873 in Europe and the United States, triggered falling commodity prices, slower trade, and investment cutbacks worldwide. New Zealand, still a young colony at the time, was especially vulnerable because its economy depended heavily on exporting wool and receiving British loans to fund infrastructure and settlement.
I had a hunt but couldn't find a single documented reason for his bankruptcy. After asking AI for a hand... I think it is likely a mix of factors: a saturated legal profession, the collapse of the speculative property boom, and William’s own deep investment – personally and perhaps financially – in establishing Dunedin’s cultural scene. He had moved his family from a prestigious address on Royal Terrace to a modest rented cottage in Ravensbourne. For Rachel, this would have been a major shift – not just financially but socially. She was now raising six children in far tighter circumstances, holding the family together during one of their most difficult seasons. That resilience, I can’t help but think, must have shaped Frances and her siblings as much as their father’s artistic influence did.
I think these economic pressures didn’t just create financial strain... they could ripple out socially and morally, shaping decisions and even scandals that still capture attention today.
When we look at the context of William Hodgkins’s bankruptcy alongside what was happening in places like Timaru, I can see how widespread and destabilising this period was. Thomas Hall’s notorious fraud and poisoning case in Timaru is a stark example of what people might do when desperate to maintain appearances or claw back their fortunes. Similarly, David Ross’s fraudulent dealings shook local confidence, impacting borrowing and investments in a town that was trying to grow. These cases suggest that the economic downturn was more than just an abstract "depression". It reached into people’s homes, relationships, and reputations.
It makes me wonder what it must have been like for women like Rachel Hodgkins at the time. How did she hold her family together through those years, when the risk of financial ruin or scandal seemed to hang over so many? Was William unscathed by the nauty white collar criminals, or was he impacted by them too? Perhaps this is part of why Frances’s later independence and determination feel so remarkable? She came from a world where economic fragility was everywhere, yet she was able to take her own path through it, shaped by a mother who managed to navigate those tough times and with resilience that impacted her children’s futures.
Side Quest How did war impact Frances?
Reading Frances Hodgkins: The Link with Kāpiti really made me think about how war must have affected Frances and her mother, Rachel. Frances spent WWI in Cornwall, far from home, and though she kept painting and teaching, the war disrupted her life and trapped her in England. Her letters show her longing for family, especially for Ngārara Farm and the sense of home it gave her. She even talked about swapping hemispheres with her sister Isabel, dreaming of painting flowers and “Māori babies” back in New Zealand. WWII hit even harder. By then she was older and less able to travel, confined to England as bombs fell and Europe closed in. She described the “terrible conditions” weighing on her, and you can feel how the war cut her off from the places and people she loved most.
I think about what that distance and danger must have been like for Rachel. Even though she died before WWII, she lived through WWI knowing her daughter was alone on the other side of the world in a war zone. After everything she had already endured – bankruptcy, widowhood, and raising six children – the anxiety of having Frances so far away must have been huge. Yet Rachel’s calm, steady nature and her support through affectionate letters and small gifts of money gave Frances strength. Frances leaned on her, writing with warmth, humour, and honesty about her struggles. I can see how Rachel’s resilience helped Frances endure those years of upheaval, and how much of her courage and independence came from her mother’s example. It reminds me that behind Frances’s bold life and art was a mother who quietly anchored it all.
If you google Frances, a YouTube pops up.
If you Google Frances Hodgkins, a YouTube clip pops up from BBC’s Fake or Fortune. It tells the story of a man named Robin who bought a painting online for just £35. It was part of a "two-for-one" auction lot, and he was really buying it for the other picture in the pair. The painting he got as a bonus was listed as being by British artist Vera Cunningham – but someone later messaged him suggesting it could actually be by Frances Hodgkins.
That chance message set off an art detective hunt. Experts studied the painting and found it had all the hallmarks of Frances’s style: bold brushwork, hand-mixed gouache paints, and those fine scratched lines she used to create texture. It had no signature, but scientific tests on the pigments matched her works held in the Auckland Art Gallery.
The investigation dug deeper into her life, tracing her movements during the early 1940s. They discovered she had spent time in South Wales during the war, staying near old gold mines and painting the surrounding landscape. The team even hiked into the hills to find the exact spot – and they did.
In the end, the painting was authenticated as a genuine Frances Hodgkins and identified as her missing 1943 work October Landscape. It went from being a forgotten "school picture" (part of a post-war scheme to hang real art in classrooms) to a work valued at £40,000–£50,000.
I loved this story because it shows how Frances’s work still surprises us. Decades later, her paintings can surface in unexpected places, reminding us how far her influence spread. And just like her art can be rediscovered, so too can the stories of the people who nurtured her – like her mother, Rachel, whose role is often left in the shadows.
https://youtu.be/vyvws9A4lic?si=V-HVPApCVapL1MQR
"When I think about legacy in this context, I see how families like the Hodgkins contributed to Dunedin's identity and helped shape Frances and her sister as artists. I feel a connection with Frances as I grew up in a musical and arty family too, and relate to how a creative environment can shape who you become and what you value. Creativity is important because it’s how we solve problems, express ourselves, and make sense of the world. It imagines new possibilities, connects ideas, and helps communities grow by shaping culture and identity. It turns a place into more than just somewhere we live – it gives it soul. Creativity lets us leave our mark and create legacies that outlast us. When I first saw the hook line of the Fake or Fortune YouTube episode, I assumed Frances might have been caught up in some kind of scandal, but it turned out to be the opposite. The episode doesn’t accuse anyone of wrongdoing; instead, it celebrates the rediscovery of her work and shows how her legacy continues to grow, even decades later. It’s about recognition and re-evaluation, a powerful reminder of how legacies can keep evolving long after someone has gone."
– Roselyn Fauth
Side Quest: What happened in Frances Life?
Frances Mary Hodgkins Timeline
1869 – Born on 28 April in Dunedin, New Zealand, to William Mathew Hodgkins and Rachel Owen Hodgkins (née Parker).
1870s–1880s – Grows up in an art-focused home, surrounded by her father’s artistic influence and her mother’s resilience during the economic struggles and William’s bankruptcy in 1888.
1890 – First exhibits her work with the Otago Art Society.
1893–1895 – Studies with Italian painter Girolamo Nerli; wins New Zealand Academy of Arts prize for Head of an Old Woman (1895).
1895–1896 – Attends Dunedin School of Art and begins teaching art, earning income to further her studies.
1901 – Leaves New Zealand for England, travels to Europe (London, France, Italy, Netherlands, Morocco) with fellow artist Dorothy Kate Richmond.
1903 – Becomes the first New Zealand artist to have a work (Fatima) hung "on the line" at the Royal Academy in London. Returns briefly to New Zealand.
1904–1906 – Teaches and exhibits in Wellington, opens her own studio. Briefly engaged to T. Boughton Wilby, but the engagement ends.
1906 – Returns to Europe permanently, determined to build an artistic career.
1908–1912 – Lives in Paris, teaches at Académie Colarossi (first female instructor), founds the School for Water Colour. Travels extensively in France and Britain.
1914–1918 (World War I) – Spends much of the war in Cornwall (St Ives), continues painting and teaching. Begins using oil paint.
1919–1928 – Travels in France, Spain, and Italy. Develops her distinctive modernist style, blending still life, landscape, and abstraction. Holds her first solo London exhibition in 1928.
1925–1927 – Works briefly as a textile designer in Manchester, then returns to painting full-time.
1929 – Joins the avant-garde Seven and Five Society, exhibiting alongside artists such as Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore.
1930s – Gains recognition in Britain’s modernist circles. Exhibits regularly at the Lefevre Gallery, London. Moves between rural England, Wales, and France, painting prolifically.
1939–1945 (World War II) – Invited to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale (1940), but her work cannot be transported due to wartime restrictions. Settles in Dorset during the war, continues painting despite ill health.
1942–1943 – Paints in Wales, including October Landscape, later authenticated on BBC’s Fake or Fortune. Holds an exhibition at Lefevre Gallery in 1943.
1944 – Tate Britain purchases her painting Loveday and Ann: Two Women with a Basket of Flowers, cementing her reputation.
1946 – A major retrospective of her work is held at Lefevre Gallery, London.
1947 – Dies on 13 May in Dorchester, Dorset, aged 78. Her ashes are returned to New Zealand.
1962 – The Frances Hodgkins Fellowship is established at the University of Otago to support artists, honouring her legacy.
2019 – Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys opens at Auckland Art Gallery, showcasing her influence and international reach.
2025 – Featured on BBC’s Fake or Fortune, where her painting October Landscape is rediscovered and authenticated.
Frances Hodgkins in her Studio, Wellington circa 1905. E H McCormick Papers, E H McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Linda Gill, 2015. Copyright Assume Expired. https://completefranceshodgkins.com/objects/28049/frances-hodgkins-in-her-studio-wellington
Side Quest: Why the World Still Celebrates Frances Hodgkins
Frances Hodgkins’s art is widely celebrated for several reasons – her inventive modernism, bold use of colour, and trailblazing role in a male-dominated art world. But what do critics and peers actually say about her work?
Art historian Peter Entwisle and others describe her ability to fuse genres – “still life, landscape, and abstraction” – as groundbreaking, noting her seamless blend of French artistic influence with personal innovation.
Critic Eric Newton famously observed that Hodgkins could make “browns look positively rapturous” and at her peak, she learned to make watercolours "sing," high praise for her mastery of colour and mood in works like Pleasure Garden.
Michael Ayrton, writing in The Spectator about her mature work, noted that Frances had “reached a very complete and final maturity” by the mid-1940s, a significant mark of her artistic evolution and recognition in London galleries.
These reflections help explain why people celebrate Hodgkins today: her work stood at the intersection of emotional expression, technical boldness, and quiet yet profound individuality.
Sources:
https://arthistorysociety.org/essays/looking-at-frances-hodgkins
a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_Garden_(painting)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_Garden_(painting)
https://www.franceshodgkins.com/1940s
Side Quest:
From Art Classes to Masterpieces: How Frances Hodgkins Backed Her Own Career
Frances Hodgkins managed to afford her career as an artist through a mix of teaching, sheer resourcefulness, and support from her family, particularly her mother Rachel after her father’s death. In her early years, Frances taught art in Dunedin and Wellington, saving enough to travel to Europe in 1901. While abroad, she supported herself by running sketching classes, giving private lessons, and later teaching at Académie Colarossi in Paris, where she became the first female instructor.
Frances also relied on frugal living and a network of friends and fellow artists who often shared accommodation and resources. Her letters show she sometimes struggled financially, writing about living in cramped studios and making do with very little. At one point in the 1920s, she even worked as a textile designer for the Calico Printers' Association in Manchester to make ends meet, though she disliked commercial work.
Crucially, Frances’s unmarried status meant she had no household or childcare responsibilities, which freed her to focus on her art despite limited income. Over time, as her reputation grew, she gained gallery contracts, notably with the Lefevre Gallery in London, which provided her with a modest but steady income from sales. Patrons and collectors, particularly women like Lucy Wertheim, also purchased her works and advocated for her, giving her both financial backing and social support.
Her story is one of determination and persistence. She didn’t come from great wealth but leveraged teaching, small sales, and eventually gallery representation to sustain herself – all while relying on Rachel’s stability in New Zealand during her formative years.
Side Quest:
Who Were the Other Artists Painting in New Zealand During Frances Hodgkins’s Time?
Her Contemporaries in New Zealand
Girolamo PieriNerli (1860–1926) – Italian-born painter who taught in Dunedin and influenced Hodgkins in the 1890s with his Impressionist and plein-air approach.
Margaret Stoddart (1865–1934) – Christchurch-based painter known for her Impressionist floral and landscape works. She was also a friend and contemporary of Frances.
Petrus van der Velden (1837–1913) – Dutch-born artist famous for his dramatic landscapes, especially the Otira Gorge series.
Charles Goldie (1870–1947) – Painter renowned for highly detailed and formal portraits of Māori elders, representing a more academic style contrasting with Hodgkins’s modernism.
Gottfried Lindauer (1839–1926) – Like Goldie, he specialised in Māori portraits, though he worked earlier and in a more documentary style.
Sydney Lough Thompson (1877–1973) – Noted for his post-Impressionist landscapes and figure studies, often painted in France. His work paralleled Hodgkins’s European career.
C.F. Goldie (1870–1947) – His realism and depictions of Māori contrasted with Hodgkins’s modernist abstraction.
Women Artists of Note
Dorothy Kate Richmond (1861–1935) – Painter and close friend of Frances, travelled and worked with her in Europe (including Morocco and France). Their companionship was pivotal for Frances early on.
Edith Bendall (1874–1957) – Artist and pupil of Hodgkins in Wellington, later associated with Katherine Mansfield.
Annie Elizabeth Kelly (1877–1946) – Christchurch painter celebrated for portraits and still lifes.
Internationally Connected Artists
Maude Burge (1865–1957) – A New Zealand artist who painted alongside Hodgkins in France (Saint-Tropez) and shared her circle of modernist influences.
Raymond McIntyre (1879–1933) – Moved to London in 1909; known for subtle post-Impressionist portraits and landscapes, exhibiting with Hodgkins in Britain.
Owen Merton (1887–1931) – Watercolourist influenced by Fauvism and Post-Impressionism, spent much of his career in Europe, overlapping with Frances in Paris.
Sculptors
Margaret Butler (1883–1947) – One of New Zealand’s earliest professional sculptors, met Hodgkins in Nice in 1924.
City of Dunedin (1937). NZ Heritage Maps Platform, accessed 06/08/2025, https://maps.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/2875
Thank you to everyone who has shared information, archives, and insights about the Hodgkins family online. Your work has allowed me to explore Frances’s story from my own computer desk. That research has helped me reflect not just on past artists like Frances, but on who I am, what I value, and what kind of legacy I want to leave. It’s made me think about the impact I can make... to ripple, to inspire, and to uplift.
Thank you to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery for the beautiful gift. Our girls treasure the Frances Hodgkins print on their bedroom wall. And thank you to the South Canterbury Arts Society, whose vision and generosity brought important works into the Aigantighe Art Gallery collection. We are so lucky to have access to artists like Frances, whose creativity continues to spark curiosity and meaning in our own lives.
Resources and publications
New Zealand’s leading expatriate artist, Frances Hodgkins (1869–1947) has a reputation forged through her practice in Britain and Western Europe. The Complete Frances Hodgkins is an online catalogue of the artist’s known paintings, watercolours and drawings ranging from 1886 to 1946. You can search across artworks, and related exhibitions, people and locations. The site also includes digitised and transcribed letters written by Hodgkins, her family and friends, as well as a wide range of related photographs and documents. The catalogue will continue to be updated as new material becomes available: https://completefranceshodgkins.com/explore Developed by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, this project has been made possible by the generous support of the Stout Trust. It builds on earlier research carried out by Dr Eric McCormick, Dr Rodney Wilson, and numerous writers and researchers on Frances Hodgkins in New Zealand and abroad. The website features research into Hodgkins artwork undertaken by Mary Kisler, Curator Emerita of International Art, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Kisler is also joint editor of and contributor to Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys and author of Finding Frances Hodgkins.
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (Frances Hodgkins) https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3h32/hodgkins-frances
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki– Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/page/frances-hodgkins-european-journeys
Christchurch Art Gallery – Frances Hodgkins https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/exhibitions/frances-hodgkins
Wikipedia – Frances Hodgkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Hodgkins
BBC Fake or Fortune – Frances Hodgkins (Series 13 Episode) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rclx
Mary Kisler, Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys (2019 exhibition catalogue) https://natlib.govt.nz/records/42163176
Wikipedia – William Mathew Hodgkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mathew_Hodgkins
Archives New Zealand – Rachel Owen Hodgkins (née Parker) https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz
Te Ara – Art and Society in Colonial New Zealand https://teara.govt.nz/en/art-and-society
Te Ara – The Long Depression (1870s–1890s) https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/depression-long
Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Banking Crises and the 1890s https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-publications
Papers Past – Newspaper archives (economic hardship, Dunedin and Timaru, 1880s–1890s) https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz