Whyte was a painter, etcher, and wood-carver who studied at the National Gallery School from 1890–1895[1] and together with Dora Wilson and Jessie Traill took lessons in etching from John Mather.[2] Their etchings were published in The Lone Hand in 1907 as some of the earliest works in this field made by women.[2] Whyte was an impressionist artist who painted portraits,[3] figure studies, and landscapes,[4] and was one of the first Melbourne women to paint dockyard scenes.[1] She also painted interiors and flowers, and worked with oils, watercolours, and pastels.[4] Her cityscapes contained charming observations of Melbourne life.[1] Whyte taught at the Sydenham College[5] and Ipswich Girls Grammar School.[6] Whyte showed with the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors in the 1920s.[7]
As part of a first wave of feminist artists in Melbourne,[1] Whyte presented a paper at women's cultural group the Austral Salon along with Violet Teague in August 1907.[8] While a copy of her lecture was not archived it is said she discussed the struggle for Australian women artists to get recognition.[8]
Whyte died on 7 April 1953 at her home in Canterbury, Victoria,[9] and was cremated.[10] She was survived by a sister and numerous nieces and nephews.
12Lee, Mary Alice, "Wilson, Dora Lynnell (1883–1946)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 20 August 2020
