The passing of famous artist Pauline Bewick in 2022 has left a considerable absence in the life of her daughter, Poppy Melia. Their bond was so strong that they shared neighbouring homes in Co Kerry.
During the arrangement of her mother’s collection for its impending transfer to the National Gallery, Melia uncovered a series of commercial art that her mother had conducted for Brown Thomas.
“This was a bucket of work largely done in the 1950s,” shares Melia, who also pursues art. The link with Brown Thomas was a revelation to her which she discovered after reaching out to her mother’s publisher. Her mother had undertaken numerous similar tasks to earn a living, she found out.
There were some commercial assignments Melia was aware of – like one where her mother was asked to illustrate lions and unicorns on banners for Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 crowning procession. Around the same period, her mother consistently accepted orders for painting prosthetic eyes for individuals who had lost their eyepiece.
In her workspace, she would examine the individual’s remaining eye and decorate the prosthetic one accordingly. This once led to an unpleasant encounter with an individual whose prosthetic eye, which she had painted, had terribly faded due to a defect in the paint.
During this time, Melia and her family resided in Heytesbury Lane in Dublin, where she spent her early childhood, being born in 1966.
“Despite being ignorant of the advertising aspect, I was aware she had a fondness for Brown Thomas,” she remarks about her mother who was a loyal customer of the brand over the years. Reputed for her love for fashion and no understanding of finances, Melia and her mother would shop together, and her mother would spot an item she fancied and would inquire, ‘Can I afford this?’
Melia believes her mother drew her fashion sense and passion for fashion from her grandmother.
“My grandmother would always assert that she had adopted drainpipes far before they became widespread. She was a pioneer in fashion. Both she and my mother were trendsetters,” she recalls.
Following Melia’s departure from art school, her family decided to move to Kerry and later famously lived in Polynesia for a year. Inspired by the vivid descriptions of their grandmother, who often portrayed Polynesia as a utopian society, they embarked on this adventure. Although it didn’t entirely live up to its grand reputation, the year spent there undoubtedly had an idyllic charm and was enjoyable for the entire family.
Melia distinctly recalls observing vehicles which transported their fuel in large plastic containers, while passengers carelessly brandished cigarettes. Beyond the confines of their Kerry home, the family explored various locations, including picturesque Tuscian summers.
Their longstanding relationship with Brown Thomas remained constant. Melia nostalgically tells of her father, a beloved psychiatrist, who would put together a yearly clothing budget for the family. He would inquire about their requirements and for significant items, such as coats, a special trip to Brown Thomas was in order. Although not all attire was purchased from there, it was certainly the destination for acquiring substantial items.