The first art curator at a museum has died from natural causes at 93.

Anne Blessley was appointed the first ever art curator position at Bushey Museum as soon as the museum was founded becoming an expert on Hubert von Herkomer, his art and his imitators.

Born in Stanmore Mrs Blessley was a pupil at St Joseph's convent school in Hendon. She then joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1942.

After the war she returned to Coutts Bank where she met her husband Donald Blessley.

In 1971 the couple moved to Bushey where she set up a WEA Art Appreciation course.

In 1985 she started the Friends of Bushey Museum and in 2005 she was elected President of the Friends.

Mrs Blessley was a museum steward, a trustee of Bushey Museum as well as of the Friends and continued in these activities until she was over 90 years old.

Many of the pictures the Museum acquires through sale or auction are funded by the Friends of Bushey Museum but sometimes it is beyond the means of the Friends, and the Museum has to ask for help from the Art Fund, or the V&A purchase fund.

In such cases it fell to Mrs Blessley to inspect and assess the picture, and write a persuasive funding application – often with only a few days before an auction.

Without Anne’s skilled contribution they would not have been able to buy these works.

Shelley Tickell, of the Bushey Museum, said: "Anne was an instigator of and contributor to the Millennium Embroidery, also on show in this exhibition.

"She was a Trustee of the Museum, also the founder and (for two years) chairman of the Friends of Bushey Museum and, later, its president.

"She will be much missed for her energy and enthusiasm, which she kept right up to the end, as well as for her extensive background knowledge."