‘the opulent prints of florence broadhurst' ............................................................................................................................................................................................................










‘the opulent prints
of florence broadhurst'

florence broadhurst was a world-renowned wallpaper and
textile designer. she combined hints of the orient with europe’s
1930s-style modernism. her patterns, with shiny surface and
sophisticated, very vibrant motifs are extremely elegant.
she fused english floral patterns with splashes and swirls,
bamboo and willow, kangaroos and peacocks...

now, almost 20 years later, the opulent patterns are
the subject of growing international interest.
a carefully restored archive (by david and helen lennie,
CEOs of ‘signature prints’, who hold the copyright licence to
reproduce broadhurst’s designs) , a recent film-biography
and a previous exhibition in sydney’s powerhouse museum
helped the revival of broadhurst’s work.
this means that you can see her designs everywhere,
from fashion designers marc jacob’s clothing to
stella mc cartney’s collections.

florence maud broadhurst
was born in 1899 in australia.
as a singer, at age of 17 she changed her name to
‘miss bobbie broadhurst’ and toured with opera singer
dame nellie melba and ballet dancer robert helpmann.
followed by a dancing troupe called ‘the smart set diggers’
and then ‘the globe trotters’. by the early ‘20s, she was
performing in south-east asia, india, and china.

in 1926 she founded an accademy of art, the
‘broadhurst academy’ in shanghai.
seven years later, in 1933, her life changed when she
moved to london. she got married and acquired a
dress shop on bond street.
her name changed again, into ’madame pellier’
(it was also the name of the shop).
florence broadhurst stayed in england until 1949, when she
moved with her (then second) husband back to australia.
still untrained as an artist, she began to paint landscapes
and portraits (whilst raising her son, robert).

at the age of 60, in 1959, florence broadhurst founded the
company for which she became famous :
australian (handprinted) wallpapers, later known as
‘florence broadhurst wallpapers’.
she sourced special papers from america and norway,
and had cedarwood frames, made in switzerland.
she used vivid colours, printed onto metallic textures,
made her paper stain-resistant and longer lasting.
from 1966, florence and her staff (in her roylston st
studio in paddington) produced over 800 designs and
6000 printed samples.

her life was also colourful.
florence broadhurst designed herself in a sequence of
metamorphoses that were so successful, she seemed to eliminate
all traces of her former lives and in her artistic evolution it is
difficult to separate fact from fiction:
the beauty of her designs,
the horror of her death and
the secrecy of her life.

to many florence broadhurst does not emerge as a likeable
figure, dumping her son in boarding school at the age of five,
appearing to have few close friends, never paying taxes
and dominating her poorly paid employees.
broadhurst worked until she died dramatically, and mysteriously
in 1977 - in an unsolved crime.
her murderer bashed her to death and shoved her head into
a toilet bowl. police speculated that she knew her killer.
her fondness for young men, and the fact that she supported
her friends financially, may offer some clues.
after her murder the business was run by wilson's fabrics
and then bought by signature prints who continue to market
a small range of her designs today.

links:
http://www.signatureprints.com.au
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com

the movie:
‘unfolding florence: the many lives of florence broadhurst
(2005), directed by gillian armstrong

florence broadhurst, shanghai, 1925-26
burnt orange - that was her colour.
the colour of florence broadhurst's hair and false eyelashes.
burnt orange was also the dominant shade of her designs.
image © powerhouse museum



‘signature prints’ hold the copyright licence to reproduce
florence broadhurst’s designs



egrets
image courtesy of signature prints



detail of 'leaves'
image courtesy signature prints



leaves
image courtesy of signature prints



florence broadhurst perceived the 'peacock' wallpaper as being one
of her best mature works. it became a 'signature' piece when she
posed in front of it for her business advertisements of the 1970s.
the full set of screens required to print the original 'peacock' design
were acquired into the powerhouse museum's collection in 1997.
image courtesy of powerhouse museum



horses stampede,
beautifully painted horses flow into each other
courtesy of signature prints



hand printing of broadhurst’s horses pattern
courtesy of signature print
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