Mary Eliza Haweis

Mary Eliza Haweis, née Joy (21 February 1848 – 24 November 1898) was a British author of books and essays, particularly for women, and a scholar of Geoffrey Chaucer, illustrator and painter. The daughter of genre and portrait painter, Thomas Musgrave Joy, she was known for her art and literature. In her early life, she mainly focused on painting, drawing, and illustrating. Her artwork can be seen featured in her husband's works. After marriage, she became versed in literature and history. She both wrote and designed the covers of her own books. Some of her published works include Chaucer for Children (1877), Chaucer for Schools (1881), The Art of Beauty (1878), The Art of Dress (1879), The Art of Decoration (1881), and The Art of Housekeeping (1889), Beautiful Houses (1882), A Flame of Fire (1897). The genres of her work include journalism, politics, philosophy, essays, and fiction novels. She also left many printed articles and papers in manuscript on various subjects. Biography Haweis was born in Sloane Street, Chelsea, London, in 1848, the eldest of two daughters born to Thomas Musgrave Joy, and Eliza Rohde Joy, née Spratt. Her mother was a daughter of Charles Spratt, of Salisbury, descended in direct line from Bishop Spratt, also Dean of Westminster, a prominent churchman in the reigns of James II and Anne. As her grandfather was a landed proprietor, her father's family seat was Boughton Hall, Monchelsea, Yalding, Kent. A highly acclaimed painter, Thomas Musgrave Joy was commanded by the Queen to paint the Royal children in 1841. He also did several pictures for Prince Albert and his work was praised by a number of the English nobility, including the Duke of Cambridge. She was baptized on 25 February 1848 at St Saviour's Church, Kensington and Chelsea. Because as a child, she had a very sweet face, Mary served as a model for many of her father's works. However, she was more than a model; she was also his imitator. Like her father, she had a natural gift for painting. Though she did not receive any formal painting instruction, she regularly watched her father work in his studio. When she was drawing or painting, the only assistance she received was her father's guidance. Occasionally, he would survey her work and add in a few lines here and there.