Eirene Mort facts for kids
Eirene Mort (born 1879, died 1977) was a talented Australian artist. She was also an art teacher, printmaker, cartoonist, and fashion designer. Eirene Mort helped start the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales.
Early Life and Education
Eirene Mort was born on November 17, 1879, in Woollahra, Australia. Her father, Henry Wallace Mort, was a church leader. Her mother was Kate Macintosh.
Eirene went to St Catherine's Clergy Daughters' School in Waverley. Her headmistress, Helen Phillips, really encouraged her art. Phillips even let Eirene use the school's art studio freely. This studio is now a museum. In 1897, Eirene won a special medal from the University of Sydney for Design in her final school exams.
After school, Eirene Mort studied painting with famous artists like Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo and Albert Fullwood. She also traveled to London to study art. There, she attended the Grosvenor Life School, the Royal School of Art Needlework, and the Royal College of Art.
Creative Career
Eirene Mort was a very busy artist. She wrote and drew pictures for magazines like Sydney Mail and Art and Architecture. She also illustrated many books for other writers. These included A Popular Guide to the Wild Flowers of New South Wales (1913) by Florence Sulman. She also illustrated The Story of Architecture (1942). Eirene even wrote and drew her own books for children. These books were about Australian animals and plants, like Country Cousins. She loved to use Australian themes and materials in her art.
In 1906, Eirene Mort and Nora Weston opened a graphic design studio in Sydney. They taught many different art skills there. Students could learn drawing, design, wood carving, metalwork, and book-binding.
Eirene Mort was a founder of the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales. She also helped organize a huge event in 1907 called the Australian Exhibition of Women's Work. This exhibition showed 16,000 art pieces. More than 250,000 people came to see it!
In 1937, Eirene moved to Mittagong. She taught art at Frensham School until 1949. Even after she retired from teaching, she kept creating art. Today, the National Gallery of Australia has 349 pieces of Eirene Mort's artwork in its collection.
Later Life
Eirene Mort shared a home with her friend and fellow artist, Nora "Chips" Weston. They lived in Vaucluse and later in the southern highlands of New South Wales. Eirene Mort passed away in Bowral on December 1, 1977.
See also
In Spanish: Eirene Mort para niños
