Guide to the Papers of Lady Maisie Drysdale, c1890s-2001
Collection context
Summary
- Collection number:
- MS 9899
- Creator:
- Drysdale, Maisie, Lady
- Extent:
- 3.5 metres and (21 boxes + 1 folio box)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Maisie Drysdale, National Library of Australia, MS 9899, [series and file number]'.
- Availability:
- Available
- Access conditions:
- Permission required for research. Not for loan.
Background
- Content Summary:
-
The papers document the life of Maisie Drysdale, which was intertwined with that of her first husband, Peter Purves Smith, and her second husband, Russell Drysdale. The bulk of the papers relate to her life after her marriage to Drysdale in 1964. There are diaries, correspondence, cuttings, papers about the establishment of Bouddi Farm and a large number of photographs which include early family portraits. Correspondents include Helen Garner, Mary Eagle, Murray Bail, Nadia Wheatley, Joyce Grenfell, Drusilla Modjeska, Spike Milligan, and Donald Friend.
Papers on the careers of both Purves Smith and Drysdale include photographs of their artwork, exhibition catalogues and writings and rough sketches. There are papers concerning Drysdale's involvement with The Pioneer Group and the National Art Gallery Committee and the original manuscript score of a 1966 work by Peter Sculthorpe, entitled Red landscape, which is dedicated to Drysdale.
- Biographical Note:
-
Mavis (Maisie) Mathews was born in Zeehan, Tasmania in September 1915, the first daughter of Paul Mathews and Muriel (née Larking). Her father, a mathematician, had completed a Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge. A conscientious objector, Mathews had moved with his wife to Tasmania when he sensed that war in Europe was inevitable. In 1925 Maisie's parents divorced and her mother married Claude Henry Newbold, whose name she and her younger sister Brenda took. Newbold was killed in the Second World War.
Maisie attended the Clyde Girls' Grammar School in Melbourne. On a trip to England with her mother in 1930, Maisie's maternal aunt, Louisa Larking, introduced her to art. She herself was a very good etcher and had her own printing press. Maisie matriculated with Honours in 1933 and went on to the University of Melbourne and the George Bell School, attending both until she decided to focus exclusively on her art.
While at the George Bell School, Maisie's fellow students included Peter Purves Smith and Russell Drysdale, who had attended Junior School together at Geelong Grammar School. In 1935 Drysdale had married Elizabeth 'Bon' Stephens, whom he had met in Albury while working on the family property, Boxwood Park, which was nearby. The four of them developed a close friendship.
In late 1937, Purves Smith left for Europe, followed in April 1938 by Maisie and her mother. In Europe, their relationship developed and after Maisie returned home Purves Smith cabled his proposal to her. Maisie tried unsuccessfully to return to England to marry Purves Smith, and they were to remain separated for the duration of the war. He was finally repatriated to Australia in March 1946. Purves Smith and Maisie were married on 14 June 1946 in Melbourne, with Russell Drysdale as best man. They were to have only three years together. While on duty in Burma, Purves Smith had contracted tuberculosis. He died following surgery to relieve the symptoms of the disease on 13 July 1949.
Maisie enrolled as a student at the Public Library of Victoria, Library Training School in 1952. She completed her studies in that year and in 1953 was appointed Deputy Librarian at the City of Coburg Library. Later she was appointed Children's Librarian (at the same time retaining her position as Deputy Librarian) and was given the responsibility of setting up the Children's Library. This included selection and cataloguing of the books. She resigned from this position in November 1955 to manage The Austral Bookshop in Collins Street, which was owned by Paul Flesch.
In February 1958, Maisie was appointed to the position of Children's Librarian at the Camberwell City Library. In support of her application for this position, the City of Coburg Librarian, H. Gregory, described Maisie as 'one of the very best children's librarians in Australia'. She resigned from this position in late 1963.
From 1958 to 1963 Maisie was on the Editorial Committee of the Children's Book council of Victoria. During this time she also published articles about and reviews of children's books.
Following Purves Smith's death, Maisie lived with her mother in Orrong Street, Toorak in Melbourne. She bought a cottage on half an acre of land at Mt Martha, where she and friends went for weekends.
In November 1963, Bon Drysdale died and in June the following year, Maisie married Russell Drysdale at St John's Church, Toorak. They bought a block of land on the Central Coast near Gosford and commissioned Melbourne architect, Guilford Bell, to design a house for them. They named the property Bouddi Farm and it was to remain their home for the rest of their lives.
In the years following her marriage to Drysdale, Maisie's life was taken up with art, friends and travel. She was a great entertainer, and hosted numerous informal gatherings at Bouddi Farm. She and Drysdale travelled widely, something she continued to do following his death.
Russell Drysdale died at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, on 29 June 1981, following a stroke the previous year.
Maisie Drysdale died on 28 June, 2001 following a stroke in April of that year.
- Provenance:
-
The papers of Maisie Drysdale were donated to the Library in 2001 by Russell Drysdale's daughter, Lynne Clarke, under the Cultural Gifts Program.
- Arrangement:
-
The papers have been grouped into series by the Library. Prior to the papers being deposited in the Library, they were in the possession of Mary Eagle, who was undertaking research for her biography of Peter Purves Smith. Ms Eagle grouped and annotated a number of the papers, particularly the correspondence, which she placed into chronological order.
- Container List:
-
Series File/Item/Packet Box 1 1-7 1 1 8-9 2 2 1-6 2 2 7-14 3 2 15-22 4 2 23-25 5 3 1-3 5 4 1-2 6 4 Folio packet 1 Folio box 1 5 1-3 6 6 1-3 7 7 1-2 7 7 3-5 8 8 1-2 8 8 3-6 9 9 1-4 9 9 5-11 10 9 12-14 11 9 Item Folio 1-2 Folio box 1 9 Item Folio 3 HW map drawer 23 10 1-4 11 11 1-4 12 11 Folio packet 1 Folio box 1 12 1-5 12 13 1-3 13 14 1-3 13 15 1-2 13 15 3-4 14 16 1-5 14 16 6-13 15 16 14-21 16 16 22-29 17 16 30-32 18 16 Folio packet 1 Folio box 1 17 1-5 18 17 6-8 19 18 1-5 19 19 1 20 20 1-4 20 20 5-6 21 21 1 21 22 1-4 21
Indexed terms
- Names:
- Drysdale, Maisie, Lady
Access and use
- Conditions Governing Access:
- Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1125623).
- Conditions Governing Use:
- Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Maisie Drysdale, National Library of Australia, MS 9899, [series and file number]'.
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: