Emma Smythe hailed from Bury St Edmunds and often painted idealised views of the Suffolk countryside.

Her brothers, Edward (1810-1899) and Thomas (1825-1907), often painted in the same vein and each of them had successful careers. Emma is probably the least well-known, despite exhibiting five times at the Royal Academy and also at the British Institution. There’s no question that in the 19th-century, her gender would’ve made it harder to achieve the recognition she deserved.

Emma had two children with her husband, Robinson Taylor, and settled in Ipswich, where she became a drawing and painting teacher.