Georgina Lara (fl.1862–1971) painted consistently on the theme of rural life, in a style reminiscent of 17th-century Dutch genre painting. Intricately detailed and densely populated, it recalls the highly prized work of artists such as Jan Steen (c.1626–1679), which elevated lowly peasant life to the status of history painting. Lara's work is highly collectable, with examples in the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum. Active throughout the 1860s, she exhibited sixteen works at the Royal Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street and also at the British Institution.
Little is known about Georgina Lara's life and research around her name only serves to further obfuscate her identity. There were in fact a number of different artist names used at this time on works bearing a very close resemblance to each other. Some are signed Edwina Lara; others are signed Edward Masters, who also went by the name of Edwin Masters, Thomas Masters and William Masters. The works are so similar that some believe the artists to be one and the same.
It appears that there were multiple members of the Lara family that were recorded as artists, including William Paul Lara and his children Clara Georgina Maud Lara, Ernest Lara and Percy Leslie Lara. It is possible that various members of the family collaborated or worked together for a local dealer.
