TRACY, Jessie Fife
Jessie Fife Tracy was born at Tacket Street, Ipswich around 1839, but was baptised at St Stephen's Church, Ipswich with her sister Agnes on 5 May 1856, daughter of John Tracy (1798-21 December 1873), a dental surgeon, and his wife Mary Isabella née Fife (26 April 1803-7 March 1875), Jessie was a sister to both Agnes Loveridge Tracy and Isabel Martha Wingfield Tracy. In 1841, John and his wife were living at Upper Brook Street, Ipswich with their eight children. One of a family of local artists in 1851, she was living at Whitton Road, Ipswich with her 20-year-old brother John as head of the family with 28-year-old sister Mary as housekeeper with her parents absent. In 1861, the family were living at 16 Tacket Street, Ipswich, with parents 62-year-old John, a dental surgeon, and 56-year-old Mary, with seven siblings, Mary Catherine 40, born Scotland, Nathaniel 31, born Lambeth with Anthony 23, Agnes Loveridge 20, Joseph Wingfield, Isabel Martha Wingfield 17 and Humphrey 15, all born at Ipswich. Jessie was still living at home in 1871, but in 1881 was a private governess at Downe Court, Downe, Kent. A painter in oil and watercolour of landscapes and flowers and a member of Ipswich Fine Art Club in 1879, when she exhibited from Westgate Street, Ipswich 'A Glimpse of Autumn', 'Orford from the Sea Wall', 'Linton, Cambridgeshire', 'Study of Foxgloves', 'Hollesley Bay' and 'Orford' and she exhibited at least ten works 1880-1893, exhibiting from Oak Lodge, Christchurch Street, Ipswich two works in 1881 'A Sunny Nook' and 'By the Blue Sea', in 1883 two table lots 'Cup and Saucer', in 1890 watercolour 'Pink Azaleas', in 1891 'November Sunset, Butter Market' and 'Framlingham Castle'. As Miss J. T. Tracy, together with her sisters, also exhibited at the Woodbridge Art Exhibition at the Lecture Hall, Woodbridge, Suffolk in 1883 several table lots and in 1889 when held at the Assembly Room, Bull Hotel, Woodbridge several watercolours. In 1891, on her own account as an 'amateur artist', Jessie Fife Tracy was living at 98 Christchurch Street, Ipswich where she died on 25 March 1895, aged 57, she was unmarried.