Maud Ireland Button
Maud Button was born in Uxbridge in 1878.
She became a prolific artist between 1918 and 1921, when she exhibited a selection of her oil paintings in her studio from 14 to 23 March 1918.
Maud mostly painted the old yards and gateways in the centre of the town. She was a member of the executive committee of the Women's International Art Club.
She exhibited some of her work at the Grafton Galleries in March 1915. This 'Anglo-Belgian Exhibition' was opened by princess Clementine of Belgium and the entrance money was divided between the Queen's Work for Women Fund and the Belgian Relief Fund. She exhibited 6 pictures there and one was bought by Queen Alexandra.
In 1921, Maud suffered sunstroke while on a painting tour in the Netherlands. Afterwards she suffered from mental illness and spent many years in a nursing home until her death in 1962.
Her father came to Uxbridge as a young man to work for a high street grocer called George Hetherington. He was taken into partnership and, when George Hetherington died in 1873, her father Alfred took his son Howard into the business.
In 1899, the business became Alfred Button's Sons. Alfred Button is noted as correspondent on a letter from Providence Congregational Church, Uxbridge, 1897; he was possibly a church officer. Maud's brother was Sir Howard Button, founder of the Budgen supermarket chain.