A Life of Art and Hidden Works
Rosa Brett was a Pre-Raphaelite painter who grew up in Dublin. The daughter of Captain Charles Curtis Brett and Ann Brett, she received private artistic training as early as 1841, with lessons funded by her father alongside her brother, the landscape artist John Brett. During the years 1850 and 1851, the siblings shared a studio, a period documented in Rosa's extant diary. In some instances, her work was sold under her brother's name; she once noted an instance where she avoided being seen working on a piece titled Fungus because it passed for John's work.
For a period when exhibiting, she used the pseudonym Rosarius. While her career was impacted by family demands and chronic illness, she achieved several successes at the Royal Academy. Her notable works include:
- The Hayloft
- The Field-Mice at Home
- Starling and Bluetit
- Iris
Artistic Style and Legacy
Working in both oils and watercolours, Brett's repertoire included subjects such as Thistles, Old House at Farleigh, and Snipe. Her early works date back to 1843, and she had sold her first work by 1850. Some of her pieces, like the unfinished In the Artist's Garden, reside in private collections, while her sketchbooks were featured in the 1998 Pre-Raphaelite Women Artists exhibition at Manchester City Art Galleries.
