Norah Gurdon

Norah Gurdon was born in Thetford, England in early 1882, the second child of Edwin John Gurdon (Doctor) and his wife Ellen Anne Randall. She and her two siblings, Edwin (b.1881) and Winifred (b.1884) followed their father to Australia on board the Carlisle Castle in 1886 in the company of a nurse where they eventually settled in Brighton, Victoria in 1889. It was here that the youngest surviving Gurdon sibling, Brampton, was born in May of the same year.

Norah and friends Janet Cumbrae Stewart and Jessie C.A. Traill were all members of the congregation of St. Andrew’s Church and enrolled together to the National Gallery Art School in 1901 where they studied under Frederick McCubbin and Bernard Hall. After finishing the course, Gurdon took a studio among her friends at Temple Court and began exhibiting and building her career. Shortly before the outbreak of war, she travelled with her sister to England where she intended to further her studies but after the death of her eldest brother to the conflict in France and the enlistment of her younger brother, Norah herself joined the war effort, working as a nurse in France.

Norah finally returned home to Australia in around 1920 and quickly began attempts to rebuild her career. During a few weeks’ vacation spent in a cottage at Mooroolbark with fellow artist friends, Norah became captivated by the Dandenong Ranges which inspired much of her later work. She built a house at Kalorama where she continued to paint and developed an interest in weaving.

The death of her father in England prompted a second voyage to Europe during which she studied weaving under Mrs Ethel Mary Mairet, a pioneer in English handweaving.

During the Second World War, Norah oversaw a working group who spent long hours making camouflage nets. She felt deeply for the suffering of her fellow man and generously donated pictures and woven rugs to aid numerous patriotic funds and gave the proceeds of several exhibitions to causes including the Red Cross Prisoners of War Fund.

Although she continued to paint and exhibit after the war, her energy was waning. She continued to live on her property in Kalorama amongst her friends and neighbours until she passed away on the 27th June 1974 at the age of 92 years. For a more details biography on Norah Gurdon, download the catalogue below.