page_title: Elizabeth Murray (painter)
section_title: Description and criticism of Canarian society (1859)
hierarchical_section_title: Elizabeth Murray (painter) / Biography / Stay in Tenerife (1850–1859) / Description and criticism of Canarian society (1859)
caption_attribution_description: Español: Portada de la obra Sixteen years of an artist's life in Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands de Elizabeth Heaphy de Murray. English: Cover of the work Sixteen years of an artist's life in Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands by Elizabeth Murray.
context_page_description: Elizabeth Murray, born Elizabeth Heaphy, was a British watercolourist. She primarily painted portraits and landscapes of the Canary Islands, where she lived for ten years. She was a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, and she founded the Society of Female Artists in London.
  Murray's father was Thomas Heaphy, also a watercolour painter. She first learned to paint from him, and they travelled and painted together. She continued to travel and live across the world, and paint scenes and portraits from these places: in particular, Rome, Morocco, the Canary Islands, and New England. She married Henry John Murray, a British consul whom she met when living in Morocco, and moved with him as he was assigned to the Canary Islands.
  In 1859, Murray published a two-volume monograph, Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands. This was received negatively in the Canary Islands because of its criticism of Canarian society, Spanish officials, and its comments about the decline of Tenerife.
context_section_description: In 1859, Murray published her monograph Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands. In it she described Canarian society at that time and explained some questions regarding her artwork and the representation of said society. Alfred Diston's contribution to support Murray, Notes furnished Mrs. Murray for her intended work on these islands, was very important. Its description was historically and culturally significant with regards to the festivities, customs, and folklore of the islands, as well as demographic data and descriptions of the cities.
  However, society disapproved of Murray's work because of her criticism of Canarian society; for her references to Spanish officials, whom she described as negligent and dishonest; and for her comments about the decline of Tenerife.
  Her monograph, which was written in English, was publicised in the Canarian press and immediately received negative reviews. Criticism was published in El Omnibus, a literary review and news publication from Las Palmas, but became more intense when El Eco del Comercio translated to Spanish and published some of her chapters referring to the Canary Islands. From this point on, her fame began to decline and she stopped being accepted in artistic circles.
  The Murrays' decline in popularity as a result of the monograph's publication is possibly why Consul Murray requested to be transferred to a new location. On 3 March 1860, he was assigned to the American states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Murrays moved to Portland, Maine.
caption: Cover of Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands
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