Background
She trained at the Central School of Art in London, and later married the painter and printmaker Michael Rothenstein Research Associate, son of Sir William Rothenstein.
She trained at the Central School of Art in London, and later married the painter and printmaker Michael Rothenstein Research Associate, son of Sir William Rothenstein.
Central School of Art and Design.
In 1941 the couple moved to Chapel Cottage in the Essex village of Great Bardfield, and relocated the next year to Ethel House in the centre of the village. At Great Bardfield she was mainly known as Duffy Rothenstein, although she still painted under the name Betty Fitzgerald. The Rothensteins, along with other village artists, organised a series of large open-house exhibitions that garnered much press attention during the 1950s.
During this time Duffy painted mostly portraits, and exhibited some of her work at the 1955 Great Bardfield Artists’ summer exhibition.
One of her oil portraits, "The Arrival" (1993) is in the North West Essex collection of the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden.
Duffy and Michael were important members of the famous art community resident in the north Essex village during the post-war period.