Eliza Anne Leslie-Melville, or Melville, (nee Smallbone; 17 March 1829 - July 1919) was a British painter in oils of genre and portraits.
Eliza Anne Melville, or Leslie-Melville, (née Smallbone)[1] was born on 17 March 1829 in Brighton,[2] Sussex, England.
Mrs. Alexander Melville, who enjoys some considerable reputation as a painter, has brought out for this holiday season a children's book - Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper[7]She wrote in the preface why, as an artist, she ventures ‘to appear before the public as an authoress’.
She approached his mother and the rest of his family who ‘from the character of the whole,’ it occurred to her ‘would make a good subject for a picture’.
[8] At the end of the book Melville invited readers who may be interested in art to visit her studio in Fitsroy Square.
[1] One of her most celebrated works is a portrait, Queen Victoria, which she gifted to the Royal United Services Institute, "RUSI", in 1909.
[12] During the mid-1860s, Melville and her husband jointly painted ‘one of the largest works ever’:[17] Presentation of the Freedom of the City to the Prince of Wales.
A piece depicting Albert Edward, Prince of Wales taking up the Freedom of the City of London, on 8 June 1863.
[18] In 1866 The Morning Post reported that the painting was ‘progressing rapidly under the hands of the skilful artists, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Melville, who are now daily engaged on the work at Guildhall.’[19] When completed, The Morning Post reported the painting had "been viewed and very greatly admired by the Queen", and "her Majesty the Queen of Prussia"[20] and had "been taken to Windsor Castle".
She held an exhibition at her home of paintings and illustrative passages of Scripture relating to the Spiritual World.