Pixie O'Harris - photographs & sketchbooks, 1910-1991

PXE 1027

fonds

1910-1991

Graphic Materials, Photographs, Drawings, Prints, Textual Records

441890

8 negatives - 3.7 x 3.5 cm
10 transparencies (in 7 strips) - 7 x 13 cm. or smaller
96 photoprints - chiefly silver gelatin, some cardboard mounted - 38 x 31 cm. or smaller
1 photograph album, cardboard covers & bound with brown cord - 24 x 30 cm.
73 sketchbooks, chiefly spiral bound, some cloth bound - 39 x 26 cm. or smaller
211 drawings - 56 x 39 cm. or smaller
23 prints - 50 x 40 cm. or smaller
Textual Records - 11 typescript leaves - 12 leaves of miscellaneous printed matter ; 23 x 18 cm. or smaller

Rona Olive Harris was born on 15 October 1903 in Cardiff, Wales, later adopting the name 'Pixie' after a nickname given to her during the family's migration to Australia in 1920, and the pseudonym 'O'Harris' following a printing error of 'O. Harris' by the Sydney Morning Herald. By the age of fourteen, she had exhibited drawings with the South Wales Art Society, and, after settling in Sydney in 1921, she worked as a commercial artist with John Sands Ltd. and Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd. Her publishing debut came in 1923 with Cinderella's Party by Maud Liston. On 16 July 1928, she married Bruce Waddell Fieldew Pratt, with whom she had three daughters. O'Harris established a studio at their home in Watsons Bay and became a prolific contributor of poems, short stories and illustrations across numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as publishing bookplates, cards and stationery.

Her works were exhibited during the 1930s, and again during the 1960s to 1980s. During the 1950s, she painted murals in a number of schools, hospitals and orphanages. She enjoyed one of the longest-running careers of any Australian children's book illustrator, and she died on 17 November 1991 in Lindfield, Sydney.

References:
Australian Dictionary of Biography. "Pixie O'Harris (1903-1991)". Accessed 22 May 2024. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/oharris-pixie-16755

Boxes 1 & 2:
Photographic prints of family, friends & the artist, as well as artwork & book covers

Boxes 2-5:
Over 1400 drawings in all, in various mediums such as lead pencil, col. pencil, crayon, ink, charcoal. Includes rudimentary, unfinished sketches & "doodling" as well as more detailed drawings & watercolours. Subjects covered range from people, including portraits & female nudes, animals, views in NSW & NZ, flowers, fairies & elves. Includes some sketches by other artists such as Rod Andrews

Box 3:
Printed material including School Magazine cuttings, miscellaneous news cuttings & magazine clippings of illustrations drawn by artist

Box 6:
1 sketchbook (containing 33 drawings); 124 loose drawings including full colour children's book illustrations, pencil and ink sketches of figures, nudes and interiors; 23 prints including "Christmas Number" 1932 and two copies of "Pied Piper of the Bush"; 1 program for a musical variety show, "Thanks for the Memories", held on Friday 25 September, inscribed to 'Pat' O'Harris from J. Roderick.

In copyright:
Copyright holder:: Pixie O'Harris
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Photographs only are individually numbered
Most photographs identified on reverse & some are dated on reverse
Some portrait drawings identified & dated
See also Pixie O'Harris - scrapbooks, artwork, photographs & realia, 1910-1991, held at PXD 953, R950 and SLIDES 122

Many drawings and prints signed "Pixie O'Harris" or similar, and many drawings are annotated with names or quotations of narrative and poetry.