They blazed a trail for creative equality in what was a male-dominated field.

Now paintings by some of the most important Scottish women artists of the last century are expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction tomorrow.

Works by leading names including the late Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Anne Redpath, Dame Ethel Walker and Joan Eardley are included alongside paintings by living artists at Bonhams in London.

The women are among the British pioneers who overcame obstacles to receive the same recognition and acclaim as leading male artists in the 20th century.

A small selection of their paintings, some of which have not been seen in public for many decades, will go under the hammer in Bonhams’ auction, Blazing a Trail: Modern British Women.

They include a small, iconic image of a group of street children in Glasgow by Joan Eardley (1821-1963), which has been in a private collection for over 30 years and is now expected to fetch £4,000-6,000.

A delicate pencil and watercolour painting of Lilies and Mixed Flowers by Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, the Falkirk artist who died in 2021, could fetch £10,000-15,000.

As the first woman to become an academician of both the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Royal Scottish Academy, Blackadder broke new ground for women in the arts.

Through her work -- as a teacher at Edinburgh College of Art and, fundamentally, as an artist -- she forged a path into the predominantly male world of art, where she garnered respect and high acclaim.

Blackadder was awarded the OBE in 1982, before being made the very first female Artist Limner by the late Queen, a position within the royal household which is unique to Scotland.

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Another Scottish painting in the sale depicts St Paul de Vence in southern France.

It is by Anne Redpath (1895-1965), who was president of the Scottish Society of Women Artists and the first woman painter academician.

The large oil painting of the town where Redpath lived for several years has been in a private collection in the USA. It is expected to fetch £10,000-15,000.

Christopher Dawson, Bonhams’ head of sale, said: “These are quality examples by trailblazing artists, some of whom are major names while others are lesser known.

“In Lilies and Mixed Flowers, we have a classic and very vibrant example of the work of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, an artist who was a true trailblazer for women as the first academician of both the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy. Painted only in 2010 it has a freshness and vibrancy.

“Joan Eardley’s Glasgow Children packs a real punch for a small picture, at just 31x24cm. The composition works in such a way that it looks like you are passing these children on the streets in the area where Eardley had her studio.

“Joan Eardley is such an established name in Scottish art and this is a really beautiful example of her classic Glasgow street children, which has been off the market for more than 30 years.

“And in St Paul de Vence we have a bold example of a place that was dear to Anne Redpath.”

Eardley was born in Sussex, but went with her Scottish mother, Irene Morrison, to live in Bearsden, Glasgow, at the age of 18. After enrolling at Glasgow School of Art in 1940, she set up a studio in the city.

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She later became known for her drawings and paintings of poor children, often playing in the streets in ragged clothes, with the older girls looking after younger siblings.

In 1955, she became an associate of the Royal Scottish Academy and, in 1963, she was elected a full member of the Academy.

She died in 1963 aged just 42, after being diagnosed with breast cancer which spread to the brain. Her ashes were scattered on the beach in Catterline, the Aberdeenshire fishing village where she spent her later years.

Other Scottish paintings in the sale include the impressionistic portrait of a Girl With Pigtails by Dame Ethel Walker (1861-1951), valued at £1,000-1,500; and Winter Quarry by Barbara Rae. Completed in 1979, the wintry work in oil, collage and pastel has been kept in a private collection in Switzerland and is now being offered for sale for the first time, with an estimate of £5,000-7,000.