Dolly Crombie

Florence Showell, known as Dolly, was born in 1874 in Oldbury, Worcestershire. She was the ninth daughter of Walter Showell. She had one younger sister and three older brothers making her one of thirteen children all who survived and all but one got married.

In 1895 Dolly married a Scottish cloth manufacturer James Edward Crombie. On this site there are a number of photos of her house, Parkhill House in Aberdeenshire. There are some photos labelled Uncle James, but no likenesses of her. Fortunately two portraits do exist of her, both held by Aberdeen Art Gallery. Her husband was a major benefactor to Aberdeen University and other civic amenities.

Sources

  • Dolly Crombie c. 1896, painting by Robert Brough (1872–1905) © Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums [Public domain], via Art UK
  • Mrs J. E. Crombie of Parkhill, painting by James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923) © Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums [Public domain], via Art UK
Last updated on 26 October 2021 by JJ Morgan