Collection: Mary Webster (1794-1883)

Artist: Mary Webster (1794-1883).
Mary Webster was the eldest of eleven children born to John Webster, minister at Inverarity near Dundee, and his wife, also named Mary. After John’s death in 1807, the family relocated first to nearby Carmyllie and later to London. It appears the Websters continued to live together; the address Mary gives in her first album—24 Brook Street—was also listed as the residence of her distinguished brother, John Webster MD FRCP FRS (1794–1876). He was known for his extensive work investigating lunatic asylums, prisons, and medical institutions both in Britain and abroad (Royal College of Physicians, online).
A collection of Mary’s watercolours is held by Edinburgh Libraries, where records note that census data portrays her as a single woman of independent means, living with her mother and adult siblings, supported by household staff. This context aligns with her ability to travel extensively and dedicate herself to painting. Within the family, Mary was remembered as a gifted individual who journeyed widely, wrote, and painted en plein air.