Century-old portrait of Dinsmore sisters returns home to Mid-Antrim Museum
Mrs Clover Bell is pictured with the century-old, beautifully framed portrait of the Dinsmore sisters, which she has generously donated to the council’s museum collection, in memory of her late husband Nelson. The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, received the donation while former Ulster Museum curator of art, Mrs Anne Stewart, was delighted to see the painting once again – having last seen it as a child in the Dinsmore family home.
A striking portrait painted more than a century ago of two sisters from a family deeply woven into the history of Ballymena and Kells has returned to the local community.
The 1919 painting of Anna and Rosemary Dinsmore, by renowned artist Herbert James Draper, has been donated to Mid-Antrim Museum and will eventually go on public display following conservation work.
A piece of local history comes home
Mrs Clover Bell formally presented the beautifully framed portrait to the museum on Thursday 13 August in memory of her late husband, Nelson Bell, who ran the Bell Gallery in Belfast and made a significant contribution to the visual arts in Ireland during his career.
Mr Bell had acquired the painting from the Dinsmore family.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, accepted the donation, while Mrs Anne Stewart, a former curator of art at the Ulster Museum, was also present.
Mrs Stewart has a particularly personal connection with the work: she knew of the portrait when it hung in the Dinsmore home, which she visited as a child.
Two sisters captured in 1919
Painted by celebrated Victorian Neoclassical artist Herbert James Draper, the portrait depicts Anna Dinsmore, then aged 19, alongside her eight-year-old sister Rosemary.
But its significance to the area extends well beyond the artist who painted it.
The Dinsmore family has deep roots in Ballymena and Kells, with its story intertwined with the area’s industrial, business and cultural heritage for more than two centuries.
The family’s connection with Kells can be traced to 1807, when Francis Dinsmore purchased the village mill. The business was subsequently developed and modernised over successive generations and remains family-owned today as a fabric dyeing and finishing company.
The family also restored Greenfield House in Kells in 1914 and operated the Old Green Woollen Mills, while Anna and Rosemary’s grandparents lived at Crebilly House.
Sisters shared a love of music
Anna and Rosemary also made their mark on Ballymena’s cultural life through music.
Both were accomplished singers and, a decade apart, each won the Mrs Hood Cup in Ballymena for Female Vocal Solo.
Anna won the award in 1919 — the same year Draper painted the sisters — while Rosemary followed her older sister by winning the cup in 1929.
The portrait therefore captures more than the likenesses of two young women. It provides a tangible link to the people, homes, industry and cultural life of the Ballymena and Kells area at the beginning of the 20th century.
Welcoming the donation, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, said:
“Our museums preserve our local history and make is accessible to all ages. This portrait is a wonderful addition to the museum collection, providing opportunities to learn about art and local history for generations to come.”
Public will get to see portrait in 2027
The painting will now undergo conservation work before being placed on public display in 2027.
Its arrival means an artwork that once hung in the Dinsmore family home will become part of the area’s public heritage collection, allowing future generations to encounter the sisters and explore the family and community to which they belonged.
