Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Mrs Rae

George James Coates, 1909

Name Class Date
George James Coates, Mrs Rae (1909). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
George James Coates originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/george-james-coates/
Artist’s dates
1869 – 1930
Painted
1909
Movement
Contemporary Realism Living artists painting the real world with traditional skill, often from photographs as well as from life.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. George James Coates died in 1930; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2000.

Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

Mrs Rae — George James Coates Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Mrs Rae — George James Coates

When was this painted?

  1. 1860
  2. 1870
  3. 1880
  4. 1890
  5. 1900
  6. 1910
  7. 1920
  8. 1930

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 61 at death.

Painted when the artist was 40. The artist lived to 61. 0 of the 8 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of George James Coates (1869–1930) ▲ this work, 1909 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1909 Main working years: 1909–1926 Late works: from 1926

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Espresso #2c3138

    Catalogued palette

    • #2C3138
    • #192024
    • #76655D
    • #D9B298

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Main colour name
    Espresso
    Intensity
    Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Serene How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by George James Coates over the last twelve months — 3 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 50.0%
    2. 2 Hong Kong 25.0%
    3. 3 United States of America 25.0%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 5 most looked-at works by George James Coates

    1. 1 First Australian wounded at Gallipoli arriving at Wandsworth Hospital, London, 1921 55.6%
    2. 2 Portrait of an Unknown Woman 22.2%
    3. 3 Alderman H. Lyon Thomson, Mayor of Westminster (1912–1913), 1913 11.1%
    4. 4 Mary Stormont 11.1%
    5. — Mrs Rae, 1909 this painting 0.0%

    Together these works take 100.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 16 works by this artist, of which 4 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Mrs Rae — George James Coates Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    George James Coates

    Born in South Melbourne, United States of America

    Early Life and Education

    Born: August 8, 1869, in Emerald Hill (now South Melbourne, Victoria), Australia

    Parents: John Coates (artist-lithographer) and Elizabeth Irwin

    Education: St James Grammar School; apprenticed to Ferguson and Urie (glass-stainers); North Melbourne school of design; National Gallery of Victoria Art School (under Frederick McCubbin).

    Early struggles with affording art education due to his father's early death.

    Demonstrated artistic talent early, winning prizes for drawing and painting from the nude at the National Gallery.

    Artistic Development and European Influences

    1896: Won the Melbourne national gallery travelling scholarship.

    1897-1900: Travelled to Europe, particularly Paris.

    Studied at Julien's classes in Paris.

    Influenced by French artists such as Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Jean-Paul Laurens.

    Met and married Dora Meeson (also an artist) in Paris.

    Career and Recognition

    1903: Marriage to Dora Meeson.

    Early career involved supplying drawings for Historian's History of the World.

    Struggled initially to sell artwork, focusing on portrait commissions.

    1912: Gained recognition at the Royal Academy exhibition in London with paintings like "Arthur Walker and his brother Harold," "Christine Silver," and "Mother and Child."

    Elected an associate of the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts in 1913.

    Became a Member of the Royal Academy in 1927.

    World War I and Later Works

    1919: Served as an official war artist to the Australian government, creating paintings depicting scenes from World War I.

    Discharged due to health reasons after the war.

    Returned to Australia in 1921 for exhibitions and sales of his work.

    Continued painting portraits and subject works until his death.

    Artistic Style and Legacy

    Primarily a portrait painter, known for refined technique and luminous tones.

    Demonstrated ability in subject paintings with attention to rhythm and composition.

    Often used low-toned palettes without sacrificing luminosity.

    His work is represented in numerous Australian galleries and at the Australian War Museum.

    Died: July 27, 1930, in London, England.

    Legacy as a significant Australian portraitist and war artist.

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Mrs Rae

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Coates, George James. Mrs Rae. 1909, https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/
    APA
    Coates, George James (1909). Mrs Rae [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/
    Chicago
    George James Coates. Mrs Rae. 1909. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/
    Harvard
    Coates, George James (1909) Mrs Rae. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/george-james-coates-mrs-rae-AQRUJB-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Mrs Rae — George James Coates Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Mrs Rae — George James Coates

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 1 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: portrait, woman, profile. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at First Australian wounded at Gallipoli arriving at Wandsworth Hospital, London (1921), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Mrs Rae — George James Coates Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Is a high-resolution download of "Mrs Rae" available?

    To get a digital file of "Mrs Rae" by George James Coates, order a high-resolution digital image download on its Digital Image page.

    Can I use augmented reality to see "Mrs Rae" by George James Coates in my room?

    The AR Preview page of "Mrs Rae" by George James Coates uses augmented reality to show the artwork in your own space, on a compatible device.

    Where can I buy a print of "Mrs Rae" by George James Coates?

    To get a print of "Mrs Rae" by George James Coates, simply order it on its Fine Art Print page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.