Background
Rosa grew up in Dublin, but was known to travel on the continent, spending 1854-1855 in Belgium for her health. Rose received private artistic training as early as October 1841 and her father paid for lessons for both her and John.
Rosa grew up in Dublin, but was known to travel on the continent, spending 1854-1855 in Belgium for her health. Rose received private artistic training as early as October 1841 and her father paid for lessons for both her and John.
Her artistic career was cut short by chronic illness and family demands. She used the pseudonym "Rosarius" for a period when exhibiting. lieutenant is still extant in the Brett family papers.
Diary entries record that though they collaborated together, a portion of Rosa"s work was sold under her brother"s name.
Describing an evening when John"s pupils came to visit, Rosa said, " I had to make my escape not wishing any one to see me working at the Fungus as the work passes for John"son" John referred to her as "a Diamond sister" in his diaries. Pamela Gerrish Nunn found within the family archives that Rosa"s earliest work dates from 1843.
She had sold her first work by 1850 and exhibited several times. Her painting of a cat sitting on a hay bale, The Hayloft was shown at the Royal Academy in 1858.
lieutenant was favourably reviewed in both the Saturday Review and The Spectator.
After the rejection of a second picture for exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1863, she was successful again with a total of nine works including The Field-Mice at Home in 1867, Starling and Bluetit in 1876 and Iris in.