This is a lovely painting; a cheerful yet modest portrait of a woman busy with her knitting.  But the subject is Perriene Moncrieff (1893-1979), one of the most extraordinary women in New Zealand’s history. This homely representation of such a prominent figure makes this a significant and unusual portrait.

 Mrs Moncrieff was an early conservationist and pioneering New Zealand ornithologist and writer.  In the 1920s she became a member of the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society and the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union and founded the Nelson Bush and Bird Society.  In 1925 she authored the first pocket field guide for identifying New Zealand birds which ran to five editions.  In that year, she and her husband gifted Haulashore Island to the people of Nelson and later purchased a large tract of coastal bush at Okiwi Bay and presented it to the Crown.

 With the Nelson Bush and Bird Society, Mrs Moncrieff worked to make Lake Rotoroa a scenic reserve and Farewell Spit a sanctuary.  In 1942 she spearheaded the establishment of the Abel Tasman National Park and served on the park board from 1943-1972.  Throughout, Mrs Moncrieff was a working member of the Nelson Suter Art Society and frequently exhibited her craft work alongside the paintings of Marjorie Naylor. 

The personal relationship between the artist and subject is clearly evident in this painting and reflects the warm and comfortable friendship between the two.  Mrs Moncrieff’s achievements also demonstrate her busy nature and one could only imagine that she used the time when sitting for the portrait to create some handiwork of her own.