‘Jenkins questions not only who is allowed to paint and why, but who is allowed to critique artworks’ Anna Grubel
In 1908, Constance Jenkins made history. After eight years of study at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School (also known as the National Gallery School), she became the first woman to win the institution’s prestigious Travelling Scholarship. This achievement was a significant milestone that helped pave the way for many Australian women artists during the early twentieth century.
Born in Melbourne in 1883, Jenkins was twenty-five years old when she won the Travelling Scholarship with her painting Friendly critics,1907, now held in the NGV Collection. Established in 1887, the Scholarship provided emerging student artists with the opportunity to train at leading art centres across Europe. Awarding the Scholarship to Jenkins signalled a growing recognition of women artists of the period. Her winning painting not only helped establish her career as an artist, but also challenged traditional gender roles of the time. The Travelling Scholarship offered Jenkins the opportunity to travel and further develop her practice, providing financial support for travel expenses. Additionally, the Scholarship stipulated that the NGV acquire works created by the recipient during their overseas journey. This provision aided in introducing Jenkins’ work to the NGV Collection, as well as that of other unrepresented women artists who went on to win the scholarship in the following years.
Jenkins’ bold winning painting, Friendly critics, is a nuanced reflection of the time. Through her clever composition and subtle storytelling, she captures the experience of many women artists working in the early 1900s. At the turn of the twentieth century, women were increasingly recognised as an active and vital part of Australia’s art scene. Although bias persisted, the era saw a groundbreaking rise in the number of professional women artists. Friendly critics depicts a painter awaiting the judgement of her recently completed work, which remains on the easel in her studio. Three figures lean in to inspect the painting, with an older woman using spectacles for a closer examination. Meanwhile, the artist’s model sits behind the easel, absorbed in a book. There is a sense of suspense as the artist awaits her critics’ verdict.
The painting has autobiographical elements, with Jenkins intentionally positioning the woman painter in what was typically considered a masculine domain: the artist’s studio. By taking ownership of this space and presenting it as a working woman’s professional environment, Jenkins challenges prevailing notions about the role of women in art. Additionally, two of the ‘critics’ within the painting are women who are actively engaged in assessing the painting. It is up for interpretation what these women are thinking; however, their inclusion in the work offers an interesting commentary suggesting that women in the early 1900s could in fact hold authority of judgement. Here, Jenkins questions not only who is allowed to paint and why, but who is allowed to critique artworks.
Between 1908 and 1932, an astonishing nine women consecutively won the Travelling Scholarship, a remarkable achievement indebted in part to Constance Jenkins who paved the way. After establishing herself as an artist throughout her Scholarship travels and hosting a solo show upon her return to Melbourne in 1912, Jenkins eventually settled in San Francisco. Here, she continued to influence the art world by establishing the Spencer Macky Art School with her husband Eric, where she tutored students and was involved in the local artistic community. Despite living in America for the remainder of her life, Jenkins felt a lasting yearning for Australia, noting upon a brief visit to Australia in 1953 that ‘America is my home now…but all these years I have been homesick for two things – the gum trees and a good cup of billy tea.’ 1The Herald Sun, 1953. p. 24. Fo
Jenkins’ had an impactful career both as an artist and teacher. Her winning painting Friendly critics stands as a subtle yet powerful exploration of gender bias, encapsulated the ongoing struggles and emerging agency of women artists in the early twentieth century. As a painter who broke barriers as the first woman to win the Travelling Scholarship, Jenkins remained dedicated to the arts for the rest of her life. A fitting career progression for the trailblazer, Jenkins herself became somewhat of a ‘friendly critic’, running a successful art school where she taught young artists for generations to come.
Anna Grubel is NGV Project Assistant, Curatorial.
This essay was published in NGV Magazine | Issue 55 Nov–Dec 2026.
Note
The Herald Sun, 1953. p. 24.