Brief Biography-Elizabeth Southerden Thompson, Lady Butler, was originally from Switzerland and was raised in Italy, where she studied in her youth. When she went to England in 1866, she entered the Female School of Art and returned to Italy to study at Florence’s Academy of Fine Arts. In 1870, Lady Butler went to Paris and came under the influence of Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier and painted military scenes. She achieved a considerable amount of success in her career painting battle scenes.
In 1877 she married Sir William Francis Butler, a British army officer, and gained her title. She travelled extensively with her husband. When he retired, they moved to his home county of Tipperary, Ireland, after which she exhibited her works at The Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.