Historical information

Isobel Antoinette McDonagh (her first name also spelled Isabel, Isabell, Isabella) was born in Jamaica in 1847, a daughter of Robert & Antoinette McDonagh. In 1851, in Ireland, Isobel and her sister Jane were orphaned after both their parents died within a few months of each other. In 1855 Isobel and her sister came to Australia with their uncle John McDonagh and his wife Martha (née Mathews).
Following the death in childbirth of her sister Jane in 1878, Isobel married her brother-in-law Frederick William Mitchell in 1881. She was the mother of Frederick William Mitchell, Robert Harold Mitchell, Albert Earnest Mitchell, Ida Olive Mitchell and Lillian (or Lily) Isabell Mitchell.

Physical description

Painted/modified black and white photograph which has been printed on glass, depicts a young lady with hair drawn back from face and worn in a bun or chignon at the back, wearing a dark coloured dress with a high neck and some trimming on bodice and sleeves. A narrow frill of white lace(?) is visible above the collar. Afterwards Mrs. Frederick Mitchell
Several pages from a book have been pasted onto the back of the glass on which the photograph is printed. There is some writing in pencil (arithmetic calculation?) across these pages.