Our unending heritage : a critical biography based on the life of Ella Osborn Fry (nee Robinson) 1916-1997

Abstract

This thesis is a critical biography researching the life of Ella Osborn Fry, focusing on her work as a musician and artist, her philanthropy, her contributions to education and public life, and her accomplishments and recognition as a woman. It is written from my position as a woman, an educator and an art historian. My research includes a consideration of biography as genre, feminism and feminist issues in Australian art and education. It also notes the similarities, intersections and coincidences that underpin both our lives, and uses a postmodern approach to create the architecture of the thesis. Fry’s own words and artworks provide invaluable source material upon which the research explores the various milestones in her life. The conclusion places her in an Australian context of women in art, governance and public life.