painter, was the daughter of Surgeon Colonel R.J. Quinnell of Aberdeen, Scotland. According to her own account entitled 'My Career as an Artist by Winifred Rumney’, both she and her brother Cecil, a founder of London’s Royal Society of Miniature Artists, were artistically promising from an early age. Winifred attended the South Kensington School of Art for two years in 1886-87 and contributed sketches and small works to the South Kensington Magazine . For three consecutive years (1884-86) she was awarded the highest marks for Freehand and Model Drawing by the College of Preceptors, London.

Soon afterwards, Winifred Quinnell married Thomas Rumney and came with him to Queensland in 1890. For two years (1890-92) she taught at the Sandgate Ladies’ College, near Brisbane. Also by her own account, she went to Victoria and executed some botanical paintings for Baron Ferdinand von Mueller and William Guilfoyle at the Botanical Gardens. Continuing on to Tasmania, she had lessons in 'sky & foliage’ from Gladstone Eyre.

By 1900 Winifred had returned to North Queensland. At first she lived in Rockhampton, then in Cairns where she taught painting at the Convent and, eventually, at the Cairns Technical College. During this time she also conducted private painting classes and sold her 'canvases depicting north Queensland scenes from 5 to 100 pounds’. In 1915, after Thomas died, Rumney again returned to Melbourne. She continued to teach there until about 1919.

Writers:

Bruce, Candice Note: Heritage biography.

Date written:

1995

Last updated:

2011