Author(s): Jo Oliver

Art and Design

Jessie Traill was one of Australia's most outstanding etchers, working in a field uncommon for women of her time. This biography explores her remarkable life - as artist, traveler, humanitarian and independent spirit. From the ten-year-old who first met Tom Roberts painting on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, to a student of Frederick McCubbin and etchers John Mather and Frank Brangwyn, Jessie developed her professional skills. She interrupted her career to work as a voluntary nurse in France during World War I, later raising funds for and revisiting war-torn Europe. Through diary extracts, descriptions of her world travels and personal letters we hear her voice and see through her eyes, beauty, humor and the joys of simple living.