Rosie Shackleton throws light on an extraordinary family from Airdrie, some of whom attracted admiration well beyond Lanarkshire, and some of whose work is lost in legend.

It is a common story of artists having misunderstanding parents: why art? What can it give you? How will you earn money? I know some readers will now be taking a sigh of recognition in hearing that narrative. It was extremely pleasing, then, when I discovered an exception to the rule in the McGeehan family of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. Their father Patrick was an artist in his own right, and wholeheartedly encouraged his daughters to take up arms, or rather paintbrush, clay tool, hammer and chisel, and develop their own artistic practise. What resulted was, I can only imagine, a proud father with not one, not two, not three, but four artist daughters, all with their own discipline. In this article, I will cover what we know about Patrick, Jessie, Aniza, Elizabeth and Mary Catherine McGeehan and where their artwork, or traces of it, can still be seen in Scotland and beyond. I will also build upon the research done by Kay Bryant at Glasgow School of Art and Elma Macdonald of the Monklands Heritage Society, who have both extensively researched the history of the family.

Patrick McGeehan was a greengrocer who raised his family in Rawyards, Airdrie. He was well known in his community and, as well as owning a business, was heavily involved in the Catholic community and with the Airdrie Choral Union. His artistic pursuits were also well known, and John Knox writes about Patrick in his book “Bards of Airdrie, Past and Present” (1930):

“…he was an accomplished musician and an artist of repute… his pictures, both in oils and water colour, were well known in the west of Scotland.”

It seems like his prowess did not last long and after a quick Google, I find that the only mentions of him are from research conducted about his daughters. Nevertheless, in his day, he was, as Knox writes, a true “devotee of the Muse.”

Without much more extensive research, the only artwork we know of by Patrick can be found in the Royal Scottish Academy register. One of his works titled The Blasted Oak, Cadzow was accepted for display in the 1879 RSA exhibition, an impressive accomplishment for an amateur artist. Sadly, we don’t know what this painting looked like. Indeed, the blasted oak, or landscapes showing large, dead, what appear exploded trees is a repeated motif with examples from the likes of Turner and Matisse, as well as more traditional landscape painters. The oak tree is of course rich with symbolism so it is possible the painting was allegorical in some way. However, it is also the case that they are simply interesting forms that would challenge the painter. I have started a small curation on Art UK to give an idea of the genre and aesthetic similarities between these types of scenes: The Blasted Oak | Art UK. I like to think that Patrick’s take on the theme would have fit nicely amongst this group. Alas we know nothing more about the work than the date and title; nor the title or dates of any of his other pieces. In the photograph below, showing the register of artists who have contributed to the RSA, we can see Patrick’s name next to his daughters, who would go on to surpass him in their artistic pursuits.

Catalogue of artists, Royal Scottish Academy

Patrick and his wife, Mary, had seven children; two sons who both sadly passed away young, and five daughters, only one of whom didn’t study art. While their youngest daughter, Agnes, helped her parents keep house, Patrick sent four of his daughters to Glasgow School of Art to study and develop their artistic practise.

His two eldest, Jessie and Aniza (Anne Louise) were the first to go at the ages of 15 and 13 respectively in 1887. Patrick clearly attempted to cultivate his children’s artistic impulses from early on. In her research, Elma McDonald looked into how the sisters would have commuted to and from the GSA at the time. The McGeehan’s lived a five-minute walk from Rawyards Station which offered regular trains to and from Glasgow. At this time, Patrick McGeehan had also taken work as a carriage hirer, so he might have taken his daughters to the college himself.

Glasgow School of Art students, 1890-1891, Glasgow School of Art, GSAA/P/1/5

Jessie and Aniza were in a reasonably prestigious cohort at GSA, headed and taught by Fra Newbery. In this wonderful photo from the GSA archives, Jessie can be seen three spaces to the left of Newbery, and Aniza immediately behind him on the back row. Also, of note in this photograph is the future wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret McDonald.

Both Jessie and Aniza won prizes and scholarships at GSA and began their careers from there. Jessie got recognition and began exhibiting her work from 1892 onwards. Aniza was the winner of a Haldane Travelling Scholarship in 1895 which took her to Paris in 1896 to study at the Colorossi Academy. The Academy, founded in 1870 by sculptor Filippo Colarossi, was an alternative to the government approved art schools, and allowed women to study and paint male life models. Some very prestigious artists studied at Colarossi, including John Duncan Fergusson, Samuel Peploe, Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Paul Gauguin. Not a bad line up to be included in.

Jessie also went to the continent, mainly France and the Netherlands, where her painting began to depict Dutch family scenes or landscapes. It is not clear whether both sisters were in France at the same time, but we can assume they were extremely close, as when they came back to Scotland, they shared a studio at 134 Bath St, Glasgow until 1899.

 Jessie McGeehan, The Catch, date unknown, 25.25cm x 17.5cm

Jessie and Aniza were closely followed at GSA by two more of their sisters, Mary Catherine and Lizzie (Elizabeth), who joined in 1888 and 1902 respectively. According to the GSA records Mary Catherine was just nine years old when she started her studies!

Mary Catherine had an interesting journey at GSA. Despite enrolling in 1888, her name mysteriously disappears from the register in 1889. It was GSA researcher Kay Bryant who realised that she did re-enrol, but under a new alias. In 1914, 1916, 1917, and 1918 a nun called Sister Calista registered at GSA for the metalwork classes. This nun was Mary Catherine McGeehan. In 1904, she joined the Order of Sisters of Notre Dame and took her final vows in 1914, the same year that she re-enrolled at the GSA. Both her re-emergence as a nun and her re-enrolling at GSA happened in the same year, clearly showing that her religious beliefs and her art were of almost equal importance to her. As soon as she was ‘free’ to enter the world again, now under a new name, one of her first acts was to rejoin the GSA and learn metalwork. Indeed, it turns out that she was talented at it, and in 1915, she won the Mrs D Macleod prize for enamel and silversmithing – yet another talented McGeehan sister. From then on Sister Callista’s art and religious beliefs went hand in hand eventually becoming the head art teacher at the Catholic Teacher Training College, Dowanhill, Glasgow. During her time as a teacher, she also created window designs which were moved and have now ended up in the St Peter’s Church in Partick. The church is currently undergoing renovations, so I have not been able to see them, but we know they depict ‘Christ the King’, ‘Our Lady Queen of the World’, ‘St Joseph the Worker’ and ‘St Peter.’

Sadly, very little is known about the fourth artist-sister Lizzie. She enrolled at GSA in 1902 when she was 15 but it seems that GSA don’t have much more information on her beyond this. She sadly passed away in 1918 from pneumonia at the age of 31. Despite her art being lost, or at least unknown, it is important to note that on her death certificate, her occupation is noted as being a watercolour painter. She clearly was an active and working artist; part of the McGeehan artistic legacy just as much as Jessie or Aniza.

 Death Certificate for Elizabeth McGeehan, 1918, Scotland’s People, National Records of Scotland

Aniza and Jessie gained more recognition than their sisters and from 1899 onwards, the sisters both saw reasonable success in their own fields of painting and sculpting. In the same year Aniza returned from Paris and the freedom of the Colorossi Academy in 1899, work began on the extension to the Pettigrew and Stephens store on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, parallel to the sisters’ studio. Aniza was hired to add sculptural details onto the face of the store alongside fellow sculptors William Kellock Brown and Albert H. Hodge. According to the University of Glasgow, Aniza was responsible for a sculpture of seated Justice in front of the dome on top of the building, as well as found figures representing the Continents and one of the corbels. At the time, she was paid a substantial sum of £325 with the Continents at £60 each, Justice at £85 and the corbel at £10.

The Dome, Pettigrew's and Stevens, 1971, © RCAHMS

The building was demolished in 1971, but not before it was photographed. This photo shows Aniza’s Justice watching over Sauchiehall Street, her arms, full with scales, rest on knees as she peers over the edge. The Hunterian salvaged some of the architectural pieces from Pettigrew’s and Stevens after it was demolished, but it appears Aniza’s work was not among this. There is still a good amount of architectural salvage in the Hunterian’s collection, however, so Aniza’s sculptures may still be there amongst the rubble.

A few years after Aniza’s success in Sauchiehall Street, Jessie had a painting selected for the 133rd Royal Academy exhibition in 1901. Her painting was titled ‘The Victorian Era’, an ode to Queen Victoria who had just passed away in January of that year. We know it was hung in Gallery Six and labelled as number 418. Alas, beyond this, no photos, sketches or traces of the painting seem to exist, but there are several reviews which suggest it was a rather unusual work. One review for the St. James’ Gazette suggested it was “difficult to interpret its intentions” as it “contain[ed] an enthroned representation of Her late Majesty, however, surrounded by typical and visionary personages.” Another review evaluates the work in more detail, if also being a little more scathing:

 Truth, Thursday 23rd May, 1901, London, England

Not exactly a review you’d want from your first successful submission to The Royal Academy. The review, does, however, give us a better idea what the work depicted. It is classed as an allegorical painting, something a little unusual when compared to her other works that are either easily recognisable family scenes or landscapes, or religious depictions. What kind of meaning Jessie wanted to evoke in this work was unfortunately lost on her critics but with the description, we can give it a go. In ‘The Victorian Era’, the late Queen is surrounded by fairies, also unusual, but each holding tools which you might be able to square with themes of Empire and royalty. Beyond compasses, the other themes might be difficult to link to those ideas, but it is an interesting scene, almost Midsummer Night’s Dream-esque or Arthurian. There have been pockets of fae-obsessions throughout British history, often intertwined with royalty, fairy courts and legend. There is also a fascinating notion that the Industrial Revolution may have been the nail in the coffin for fae in the UK, but this is a diversion for another time. My guess is that Jessie’s depiction of the Queen was either an attempt to immortalise her in a spiritual way, suggesting she is now reigning in another plane to ours, or her allegory was to demonstrate Victoria’s cultivation of the arts, hence the drawing and the dancing. It appears that her critics did not think she did it successfully, but then again, they weren’t selected to hang at the Royal Academy.

During this period of success for the sisters, Aniza married Liverpudlian timber merchant and equally committed Catholic, Vincent Murphy Esq. After this, she often appears in newspapers as Mrs Vincent Murphy. According to Elma Macdonald, they were married on 12th June 1900 at St Aloysius’ Church in Garnethill, Glasgow. Interestingly, St Aloysius is a church that reappears at several intervals for the McGeehan family after their move from Airdrie.

In the 1920s, Jessie, whether commissioned, or out of her commitment to her Catholic faith, created fourteen mosaic scenes showing the Stations of the Cross for St Aloysius. These mosaics are still there to this day and are a really beautiful example of Jessie’s glass work, which should be considered as an extension to her painting as they often contain hand painted glass. The glass is cut into small segments, some with metallic foil inlay, and then reassembled, giving the whole image texture. The mosaics are displayed in a band around the interior walls, just above head height. The colours are muted, and lightly applied, lending themselves well to the low-lit interior of a church. This being said, you can still see her brushstrokes on the glass. Only some of the pieces are signed, which was a nice surprise to spot. The scene labelled ‘Non enim sciunt, quid faciunt’ or ‘Forgive, Father, they know not what they do’ is also dated for 1923.

Jessie McGeehan, Non Enim Sciunt Quid Faciunt, paint on glass, 1923 (photo: Charles Langan)

Jessie McGeehan, Fasciculus myrrhae dilectus meus mihi, paint on glass, measurements unknown, 1923 (photo: Charles Langan)

My favourite from the series is ‘Fasciculus myrrhae dilectus meus mihi’ or ‘A bundle of Myrrh is my beloved to me.’ Again, softly painted in muted, autumnal reds, greens and browns but with an added tenderness in the brushstrokes. I enjoy the treatment of Christ’s face in particular. It is softly, almost tenderly sculpted, not overworked or given more pigment than necessary to give the impression of features. The darker tone used to outline the other figures, and for other sections of the body, would have been too much here, too intrusive.

Christ’s head, shoulders and abdomen are all in one section of cut-out glass, only interrupted by the hands of his mother Mary and the two figures helping lower the body. In this little piece of mosaic alone, Jessie has created an intimate scene of hands caressing the body of Christ as he is wrapped in his shroud and lowered to the ground. This work from the series also helps us to see her process she used in making these mosaics. It seems like the design was sketched in outlines on the sheet of glass and then it was broken into the various pieces. From there, each section was touched up to varying degrees, either with added layers of colour, or darker outlines.

Another example of her religious glass mosaic can be seen at St Augustine’s Church in Coatbridge, a ten-minute walk from the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life. It depicts ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Succour’ and is certainly bolder and more ambitious than the work at St Aloysius. The angels and smaller details remain hand-painted, but now with more metallic gilding and coloured glass. Indeed, we know she was paid for this work, at £120 in 1935.

Jessie McGeehan, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, paint on coloured glass, 1935, St Augustine's Church, Coatbridge (photo: the author)

Whilst Jessie was still living and working in Glasgow, Aniza had moved down to Liverpool and had begun her family. This didn’t stop her from creating art, and she had several works shown at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, including the below bust of James Nugent, a Catholic priest. The bust was first shown at the Walker Art Gallery, and then at the Royal Academy in London. It was said at the time by friends of Monsignor Nugent that it was a true likeness.

1902 Walker Art Gallery catalogue, Aniza McGeehan, The Right Rev. Monsignor Nugent, measurements and materials unknown

In 1929, the sisters ‘reunited’ in an exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery where Jessie submitted two works, one a portrait of Aniza, and Aniza submitted a bust of Jessie. Sadly, there are no photos of the bust, and it is unclear where it went after the exhibition. I suspect it is either still in the family or a private collection. Aniza was known for her busts so it can be reasonably assumed, that it was a true likeness to her sister.

The portrait of Aniza is held by North Lanarkshire Council and is a beautiful work. It is the first work by the McGeehans that I came across, during my work as Assistant Curator with the council, and it’s always a treat to see. Sadly, it is not currently on display, but the photo does it justice. It is relatively unusual to see older women in a portrait like this and Aniza is treated with the respect she deserves as a long-established artist and sculptor. The work was made in 1929 when Jessie herself was 57 and Aniza 55 years of age. By this point both women had been artists for over 40 years. This painting feels intimate, a moment between two sisters and two artists. Jessie’s respect for the sitter is shown in Aniza’s strong stance, her direct stare at the viewer and her wielding the tools of her trade front and centre. To the left, two examples of her work make it clear that this is a moment in the artist’s studio; it almost feels like we’re interrupting something important.

 Jessie McGeehan, Portrait of Aniza, oil on canvas, 138 x108 cm, 1929, North Lanarkshire Council

The portrait is a wonderful likeness of Jessie and in a newspaper article from 1930, we can instantly recognise Mrs Vincent Murphy pictured as one of Liverpool’s socialites.

 Evening Express, December 2nd, 1930

This article is particularly interesting as it tells us what Aniza’s latest work was at the time of publishing; a new bust of her son, John, which was shown at the Autumn Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in 1930. It may be too much of a leap, but I had wondered whether the bust of a child we see in Portrait of Aniza could be this bust of her son. Without seeing a photo of the bust, we’ll never know. But it is a nice thought that this portrait of a sister could also include a nephew as well.

The article also gives us a glimpse into Aniza’s home and we learn that in her “delightfully early-English drawing room” are watercolours and panels from her sisters. We learn that her Sister Callista had also completed a “gold and silver chalice mixed with precious stones.” All this points to a continued sharing of art and ideas between the three sisters: a wonderful legacy for their father who encouraged them in their creativity.

I will round off this article with a mystery; fitting, as a good amount of the art I have discussed doesn’t have photographs or locations. It concerns a work by Titian that seemingly landed in Jessie’s possession when she was travelling in Italy.

Is This Titian a Masterpiece, The Standard, March 7th, 1952

Two years after Jessie passed away in 1950, what was thought to be an original work by Titian titled Christ and the Woman Cast Out in Adultery was to be sold at Christie’s in Glasgow. The newspaper interviewed Agnes McGeehan, who explained that Jessie had found the work in Italy and tried to get it authenticated and valued in 1936. Apparently, the abdication of King Edward the VIII of all things scuppered this attempt as “London at that time could only discuss one thing.” The painting then went back to Glasgow where it stayed in her studio. She never went back to get it checked, but we learn that she loaned the work to an exhibition where the art dealer who thought he owned the original realised he was mistaken, and that Jessie’s was the real deal! I got in touch with Christie’s and they confirmed that a painting thought to be by Titian titled Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery with measurements 27 inches by 36 inches was sold in the Ancient and Modern Pictures and Drawings auction in 1952. It was sold for ‘6 Guineas and 6 shillings’, or over £600 at the time. However, they could not confirm that Jessie McGeehan had owned the painting in the first place. If you Google Titian and the title of the work, a painting does come up as being held by the Museum of Art History, Vienna. However, this work entered the collection through the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, and not from the Glasgow flat of Jessie McGeehan.

Whether Jessie McGeehan did own a priceless Titian masterpiece, or whether it was a very good copy, we seemingly won’t find out. What is clear though, is that she had good taste in art! Her and her sisters, encouraged by their father in their teenage years, all developed their own success within four separate artistic disciplines; painting, sculpture, metalwork, and watercolour. Jessie is the most well-known of the troop, but her sisters were no less talented or prolific. The McGeehan’s work can be found in churches in and around Glasgow, and in the records of the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Academy and the Walker Art Gallery; not a bad legacy for an amateur painter-cum-greengrocer. It is clear to me, that if parents encourage and inspire their children in the arts, then the results can be just as manifold and successful as with Patrick and his daughters Jessie, Aniza, Mary Catherine and Elizabeth.

Rosie Shackleton

References:

A Family of Artists: The McGeehan Family from Rawyards, Airdrie, Elma Macdonald, Monklands Heritage Society, 2007, https://staugustinescoatbridge.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/a-family-of-artists/

Sisters on the Homefront Part 1, 2 and 3, Kay Bryant, The Glasgow School of Art:

Part 1: https://gsaarchives.net/2017/0/sisters-home-front-part-1-kay-bryant/

Part 2: https://gsaarchives.net/2017/07/sisters-home-front-part-2-kay-bryant/

Part 3: https://gsaarchives.net/2017/08/sisters-home-front-part-3-kay-bryant/