Isabelle de Steiger
Encyclopedia
Isabelle de Steiger, née Lace (28 February 1836 - 1 January 1927), was an English
painter, theosophist, occultist and writer. She became a member of several esoteric
societies in London
, and was a close friend and co-worker of Anna Kingsford
.
, the daughter (and one of seven children) of Joshua Lace, a solicitor
. She was educated first in Liverpool, then in Stratford-upon-Avon
. In 1861, she married a Swiss cotton merchant, Rudolf Adolf von Steiger von Riggesberg. The couple divided their time between England and Switzerland, then settled down, for professional reasons, in Egypt
, where her husband died of Tuberculosis
in 1870..
Isabelle de Steiger returned to England in 1874 and studied art, first at Heatherley School
, then at the famous Slade School of Fine Art
in London
. Having obtained her degree, she began a career as a professional painter, going on to exhibit at various galleries, such as the Royal Academy
in London, and the Walker Art Gallery
in Liverpool. Her style was strongly influenced by Lawrence Alma-Tadema
and his historical paintings, such as Cleopatra after the Battle of Actium etc. She was also known for her flower painting and book illustrations. She illustrated, for example, the occult magazine The Unknown World (1894-1895), edited by A. E. Waite
. She painted some figures in the Theosphical movement but unfortunately much of her work was destroyed in a fire. She also experienced the prevailing prejudice against women which made it difficult to rent studio space and attend life classes, aside from social obstacles to women having an independent career..
In the early 1870s, Steiger was drawn towards spiritualism
and in 1878 joined the Theosophical Society
. She came into contact with Madame Blavatsky, Mabel Collins
and Anna Kingsford
, the latter being especially esteemed by Steiger and becoming a close friend. Later, after a split within the Theosophical society, she became a member of the Hermetic Society, founded by Kingsford; she was also a member of the Society for Psychical Research
.
Steiger became a friend of the alchemist Mary Anne Atwood, and her own writings were also strongly influnced by Alchemy; on Atwood's death, in 1910, she successfully republished Attwood's principal work, A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery. She joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
in 1888, and, after a factional split of the society in 1903, left with A. E. Waite, joining his "Holy Order of the Golden Dawn", despite their disagreements on the subject of Alchemy. She also founded, in 1912, an Alchemical Society. Towards the end of her life she followed the teachings of Anthroposophy
.
Steiger wrote several books on mystical subjects, including a translation of Karl von Eckartshausen
's "Cloud upon the Sanctuary", and an autobiography. She also wrote articles which appeared in various journals. She died in Rock Ferry
, Cheshire
in January 1927.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter, theosophist, occultist and writer. She became a member of several esoteric
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
societies in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was a close friend and co-worker of Anna Kingsford
Anna Kingsford
Anna Kingsford, née Bonus , was an English anti-vivisection, vegetarian and women's rights campaigner.She was of the first English women to obtain a degree in medicine, after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and the only medical student at the time to graduate without having experimented on a single...
.
Biography
Isabelle Lace was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the daughter (and one of seven children) of Joshua Lace, a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. She was educated first in Liverpool, then in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
. In 1861, she married a Swiss cotton merchant, Rudolf Adolf von Steiger von Riggesberg. The couple divided their time between England and Switzerland, then settled down, for professional reasons, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where her husband died of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1870..
Isabelle de Steiger returned to England in 1874 and studied art, first at Heatherley School
Heatherley School of Fine Art
The Heatherley School of Fine Art was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as principal from James Mathews Leigh . Founded in 1845, the school is affectionately known as Heatherley's...
, then at the famous Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Having obtained her degree, she began a career as a professional painter, going on to exhibit at various galleries, such as the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in London, and the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
in Liverpool. Her style was strongly influenced by Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Lawrence Alma-Tadema, OM, RA was a Dutch painter.Born in Dronrijp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he settled in England in 1870 and spent the rest of his life there...
and his historical paintings, such as Cleopatra after the Battle of Actium etc. She was also known for her flower painting and book illustrations. She illustrated, for example, the occult magazine The Unknown World (1894-1895), edited by A. E. Waite
Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A...
. She painted some figures in the Theosphical movement but unfortunately much of her work was destroyed in a fire. She also experienced the prevailing prejudice against women which made it difficult to rent studio space and attend life classes, aside from social obstacles to women having an independent career..
In the early 1870s, Steiger was drawn towards spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
and in 1878 joined the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
. She came into contact with Madame Blavatsky, Mabel Collins
Mabel Collins
Mabel Collins was a theosophist and author of over 46 books.-Life:Mabel Collins was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey...
and Anna Kingsford
Anna Kingsford
Anna Kingsford, née Bonus , was an English anti-vivisection, vegetarian and women's rights campaigner.She was of the first English women to obtain a degree in medicine, after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and the only medical student at the time to graduate without having experimented on a single...
, the latter being especially esteemed by Steiger and becoming a close friend. Later, after a split within the Theosophical society, she became a member of the Hermetic Society, founded by Kingsford; she was also a member of the Society for Psychical Research
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand "events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal by promoting and supporting important research in this area" and to "examine allegedly paranormal phenomena...
.
Steiger became a friend of the alchemist Mary Anne Atwood, and her own writings were also strongly influnced by Alchemy; on Atwood's death, in 1910, she successfully republished Attwood's principal work, A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery. She joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development...
in 1888, and, after a factional split of the society in 1903, left with A. E. Waite, joining his "Holy Order of the Golden Dawn", despite their disagreements on the subject of Alchemy. She also founded, in 1912, an Alchemical Society. Towards the end of her life she followed the teachings of Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
.
Steiger wrote several books on mystical subjects, including a translation of Karl von Eckartshausen
Karl von Eckartshausen
Karl von Eckartshausen was a German Catholic mystic, author, and philosopher.Born in Haimhausen, Bavaria, Eckartshausen studied philosophy and Bavarian civil law in Munich and Ingolstadt. He was the author of The Cloud upon the Sanctuary , a work of Christian mysticism which was later taken up by...
's "Cloud upon the Sanctuary", and an autobiography. She also wrote articles which appeared in various journals. She died in Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
in January 1927.