User:Depictology/Margaret Allen

= Margaret Allen =

Legacy
Though little is known about some aspects of Allen’s life and work, her influence is gradually gaining recognition in specialist circles.

Political Commentary
Margaret Allen has been noted as the first Irish woman artist to deal with nationalist issues in her works. Allen’s paintings provide an insightful historical resource, particularly due to her prominent use of social commentary, which was novel in her time. Political sympathies are evident in paintings such as ‘The Last Hour in the Old Land’ (1876) and  ‘Bad news in troubled times: ‘An important arrest has been made of a young man named —’’  (1886)  with explicit reference to the Irish nationalist cause. Allen commented on Irish-British antagonism even in paintings to be exhibited in Britain. Due to this open display of personal political opinion, the works mentioned were met with a critical response, and historians posit that this caused Allen’s lack of recognition past honorary Royal Hibernia Academy (RHA) membership.

Business Savvy
Allen’s experience with business was also notable, it was her expertise that allowed to run the family M. Allen & Co. at 12 Westland Row as an artists’ repository from 1863, followed by the opening of the photography studio in 1865. Allen was one of the first commercial photographers in Dublin, competing with over 70 studios, and adapting the business successfully with the times during Ireland’s period of ‘photomania’. Allen managed to move from child and animal photography to engaging solely in professional photography by 1873. She also maintained her personal interest in painting by operating the portrait studio in the same building, and using this mixture of activities as a marketing advantage.

Auctions and Exhibitions
In recent years, several of Allen’s paintings have been up for auction, with the controversial ‘Bad news in troubled times', valued at 30-50 thousand euro at the 2009 Adam’s-Bonhams Important Irish Art auction. Though the painting went unsold, it is currently displayed at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University.

The 2023 RHA and Irish National Gallery It took a century exhibition, also featured one of Allen’s portraits, depicting an unnamed man. This work was presented alongside a host of works by the 59 female RHA academicians, including Sarah Purser, who was awarded an honorary title following Allen, before becoming the first woman to receive official RHA recognition.