. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). 148 C. V. hl,LWOOD& J, M. V, HARVEY history. She was also an excellent linguist and learned the language of whichever country she lived in. According to Patricia Cockburn (1985) "she could speak nine languages: Irish, English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian. Russian and Chinese, which later she learned to both read and write'. She corresponded with Joseph Paxton, the landscape designer, who helped design the gardens at Newtown Anner where he is believed to have stayed during a visit to Ireland. She was also a tine horse
. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). 148 C. V. hl,LWOOD& J, M. V, HARVEY history. She was also an excellent linguist and learned the language of whichever country she lived in. According to Patricia Cockburn (1985) "she could speak nine languages: Irish, English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian. Russian and Chinese, which later she learned to both read and write'. She corresponded with Joseph Paxton, the landscape designer, who helped design the gardens at Newtown Anner where he is believed to have stayed during a visit to Ireland. She was also a tine horsewoman and well known as a daring rider in the hunting field. Edith's interest in painting developed early in her life. When she was only 8 years old her sketches already showed promising talent (S. Murray, pers. comm.). Although she was chiefly self-taught, it is likely that she also received some instruction from visitors to the house at Newton Anner. The Osborne family always had an interest in art. Her grandfather, also called Ralph Bernal, was a well-known art collector and many watercolourists stayed at the house. Among them were the Swiss landscape painter Alexandre Calame and Thomas Shotter Boys. Shotter Boys stayed at the house when he exhibited a work painted at Newtown Anner, probably in 1865 or 1866. A close friend of both sisters was Fanny Currey (d. 1912) who stayed with them when she was a girl. She helped Edith and Grace illustrate envelopes for letters sent to their mother. Fanny Currey later exhibited at the Irish Fine Art Society, the Grosvenor Gallery, the Royal Institute of Painters in London and the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (National Gallery of Ireland & Douglas Hyde Gallery, 1987). Grace painted competent watercolours when an adult, but it seems likely that her social position prevented her exhibiting or developing her art. Edith never exhibited her work but continued painting throughout her life. In February 1872, at the age of 26, Edith began
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