Jessie Traill

de Jo Oliver

This biography explores the remarkable life of Jessie Traill - artist, traveller, 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. She also became one of Australia's most outstanding etchers, working in a field uncommon for women of her time. Through diary extracts, descriptions of her world travels and personal letters we hear her voice and see through her eyes, beauty, humour and the joys of simple living.