A LEADING architectural historian will explore the world of a middle-class Victorian painter this weekend.

Jane Hatcher, who was born in York, will look at house interiors through the eyes of artist Mary Ellen Best, at Durham County Council's Clayport Library at 2pm on Saturday.

Best's watercolours created a window on the world of her Victorian family and friends.

They recorded in detail their homes, furniture, carpets, curtains, wallpaper, table settings and baby toys.

Born in York in 1809, Best took drawing and painting lessons as a child, and painted until about 1850. Her pieces focused on domestic activity, continental travel and portraits.

She routinely sketched church and cottage interiors and was an active portrait painter, completing about 40 works a year at her peak.

She exhibited in London, Leeds, Newcastle, York and Liverpool, but her output declined in the years following her marriage.

A graduate in architectural studies from Newcastle University, Ms Hatcher is a lecturer, author and researcher.

Tickets for the talk are £2, available on 0191-386 4003.

Published: 08/06/2004