Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Mary Beale was a pioneering artist who paved the way for generations of women creatives.
Born in 1633 in Suffolk, Beale was one of the first English women to work as a professional artist, an extraordinary achievement when women were largely excluded from artistic training.
Unlike many of her male contemporaries, Beale succeeded without financial support from a wealthy patron. She also trained other women in painting, and she is sometimes cited as the first woman to write an instructional text on painting in English.
Many of Beale's works were misattributed to male artists for generations, including to Peter Lely and her own son Charles. Her first solo exhibition came only in 1975.
In 2026, we commemorated Beale with a national blue plaque at her former home, Allbrook Farmhouse in Eastleigh, Hampshire, where she lived with her husband Charles, who sold pigments to leading artists, while Mary painted portraits for friends and family.
Presenting this video is Philip Mould OBE, a London-based art dealer specialising in British art and a member of our National Blue Plaques Panel.
The National Blue Plaque Scheme is supported by Ancestry, Delancey Real Estate, The Earls Court Development Company and the Britford Bridge Trust.
Mary Beale was a pioneering artist who paved the way for generations of women creatives.
Born in 1633 in Suffolk, Beale was one of the first English women to work as a professional artist, an extraordinary achievement when women were largely excluded from artistic training.
Unlike many of her male contemporaries, Beale succeeded without financial support from a wealthy patron. She also trained other women in painting, and she is sometimes cited as the first woman to write an instructional text on painting in English.
Many of Beale's works were misattributed to male artists for generations, including to Peter Lely and her own son Charles. Her first solo exhibition came only in 1975.
In 2026, we commemorated Beale with a national blue plaque at her former home, Allbrook Farmhouse in Eastleigh, Hampshire, where she lived with her husband Charles, who sold pigments to leading artists, while Mary painted portraits for friends and family.
Presenting this video is Philip Mould OBE, a London-based art dealer specialising in British art and a member of our National Blue Plaques Panel.
The National Blue Plaque Scheme is supported by Ancestry, Delancey Real Estate, The Earls Court Development Company and the Britford Bridge Trust.
