The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-17 00:00:00

PRINCESS BEATRICE AND THE
FEMALE SCHOOL OF ART.

On Saturday afternoon upwards of a thousand per-
sons, chiefly ladies, assembled in the theatre of the
University of London, Burlington-gardens, to witness
the annual distribution of medals and prizes to the
students of the Female School of Art, Bloomsbury, by
the Princess Beatrice. Her Royal Highness was at-
tended by Lady Biddulph and the Hon. Miss Pitt,
and on taking her seat on the dies was presented with
a beautiful bouquet by Miss Constance 'Wood, a second
year Queen's scholar. Mr, Muudella, M.P. Sir P.
Cunliffe Owen, and Mr. Armstrong, Director of Art
Schools, attended officially.
The report its.ted that the School, under the direc-
tion of Miss Gann, maintains the high standard of
former years, having again obtained one of the twelve
gold medals which are competed forLby 164 schools of
art in the country.

'The Princess Beatrice distributed the prizes, amongst
the recipients being the winners of the Queen's,
Princess of Wales's, Gilchrist, Clothworkers', and
the Baroness Burdett.Coutts scholarships, the Queen's
gold medal, and the National gold, silver, and bronze
medal.

Mr. Mundella congratulated toe mausgers aria
pupils of the school upon the presence of her Royal
Highness, and upon the fact that it was her first
public act to present the prises that day. England
owed a deep debt of gratitude to the wisdom, the fore-
sight, and the culture of the late Prince Consort
for the impulse which he had given to art in this
country, He was glad to find that very much of the
work done by the female students of the school was
really art as applied to the industrial and decorative
arts. They must not think that industrial art was
of a meaner and lower kind than pictorial art,
for the greatest men in Italy, whose names would
live for ever, had not been ashamed to design domestic
objects, such as vessels, utensils, and fireplaces. Art as
applied to industry would afford a large means for the
employment of women in this country. lie Paris tens of
thousands ot women were really engaged in industrial
art—in work. of metal and pottery, in designing,
painting, lithography, wood engraving, fan painting,
&c., and all at the expense of ths Municipality. 'They
could hardly expect that the Municipality of London—
not even the new Municipality which the Home Secre-
tary hoped to erect—would spend any portion of the
taxes in maintaining art schools, but he hoped that
those great companies which had such an important
association with the industries of England, would be
stimulated by what was being done in France and on
the Continent of Europe to encourage the study of art.
(Cheers). Her Royal Highness had materially con-
tributecl to that end by the interest she had manifested
in the Female School of Art; and he hoped that the
work which was being accomplished in that valuable
institution would be an incentive to students else-
where. (Cheers.)
Sir P. Cunliffe-Owen said he looked forward to the
day when women would be employed generally in the
artistic branches of the national industries.

The Bishop of Rochester and Mr. T. Armstrong
also spoke, and the proceedings were brought to a close
with a vote of thanks to Princess Beatrice for attend-
ing.