Which American woman appeared on Irish banknotes in the 20th century?

“The most beautiful girl in the Midwest” is how the Irish historian Dr Sinéad McCoole (b.1968) describes Lady Hazel Lavery (1880-1935), an American woman who became the face of Ireland in the 20th century. Married to a painter, Lady Lavery sat for over 400 paintings, including one reproduced on banknotes for more than 50 years.

Lady Lavery was born Hazel Martyn in Chicago. Hazel set her sights on becoming a painter and regularly visited Europe in pursuit of her dreams. On one trip, Hazel attended an artists’ retreat in Brittany, France. Here, she met the Irish painter John Lavery (1856-1941), whom she eventually married in 1909.

During their early years of marriage, Hazel acted as a London society hostess, welcoming prestigious guests to dinners and soirees or her husband’s studio for a portrait sitting. In 1918, Lavery received a knighthood, making him and his wife Sir and Lady Lavery. The same year, Hazel and John took an active interest in their Irish roots.

Until 1922, Ireland used the British pound; after gaining independence, they wished to create a new currency. The committee approached several artists before commissioning Lavery to paint an “emblematic female figure” to appear on the new notes. Lavery chose to paint his wife in the guise of an archetypical Irish 'Cailín' (girl). The government paid Lavery 250 guineas for the painting, and the first notes featuring Hazel’s face arrived in September 1928.