Edith Scannell (1852–1940): Painter of Children

A charming Edwardian portrait of three-year-old Charles Jeffreys Allen (1905–1937) by artist Edith Scannell (1852–1940). Scannell is known for her paintings of children, which it is said she painted 'con amore'. She studied for two years under M. Jacquand in Paris, in Florence, Rome and Pisa, under Bellucci, Bompiani and Lanfredini, and for a short time at the Slade School of Art in London. Scannell exhibited widely in London, including at the Royal Academy, as well as elsewhere in England (at the Society of Women Artists and the Liverpool Autumn Exhibitions, amongst others). She found much work as both illustrator for The Art Amateur magazine, and also as an illustrator of children's books in England and the USA. She lived and had her studio in West Kensington, London.