Elizabeth Gwillim

Who was Elizabeth Gwillim?

Lady Elizabeth Gwillim was an artist married to Sir Henry Gwillim, Puisne Judge at the Madras high court until 1808. Lady Gwillim painted a series of 121 watercolours of Indian birds. Produced about 20 years before John James Audubon, her work has been acclaimed for its accuracy and natural postures as they were drawn from observations of the birds in life. She also painted fishes and flowers. The collection is held in the Blacker-Wood Library of McGill University. Lady Gwillim died on 21 December 1807 of unknown causes and was buried at St. Mary's Church in Madras. Her husband resigned the next year and returned to England with the paintings.