Nuri and Celeste Mass children's book illustrations, sketchbooks and albums, approximately 1925-1980s

PXD 1387

fonds

approximately 1925-1980s

Graphic Materials, Drawings, Watercolours

1063856

6 sketchbooks, drawings and watercolours (7 boxes)

Nuri Mass (1918-1993), also known as Heather Celeste Mass; Nuri Horwitz; Nuri Celeste Horwitz.

Nuri Mass edited the magazine, Australian Children's World, 1945-1946 and worked as a reader and editor for various publishers, including Angus and Robertson, Consolidated Press and the Sydney Sun.

In 1955 she established her own press, The Writer's Press, which operated from her own home in Summer Hill, Sydney.

As well as fiction for adults, she wrote fiction for children, travel books and studies of Australian flora and fauna. These include: Where the Incas Trod (1956), China the Waking Giant (1966), Australian Wildflower Magic (1967) and Flowers of the Australian Alps (1967).

Children's books by Nuri Mass like 'Magic Australia', 'The Wizard of Jenolan', 'Little Grammar People', 'Where the Incas trod' were illustrated by Celeste Mass. Nuri Mass did botanical illustrations for 'Australian wildflower magic', 'Australian wild-flower fairies', 'Flowers of the Australian alps' and 'The wonderland of nature'

Celeste Mass was the mother of Nuri Mass.

References:
AUSTLIT, ‘Nuri Mass’, http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A17803 (accessed 10 October 2013)

BOX 1
BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS
01. Engraving sheets ‘Star Engraving’
02. Illustrations for Thea Wilkinson’s ‘Your Child and Mine’, Star Engraving, by Enid Miles
03. Manuscript draft by Nuri Mass with illustrations by Celeste Mass of ‘Muchas Sendas Un Cielo’ in Spanish, including roughs for cover and translations into different languages
04. Line drawings and sketches for ‘The Wonderland of Nature’, by Nuri Mass
05. Portraits of Celeste Mass, Tess Horwitz and Nuri Mass, by Tom Macdonald
06. Rough mock ups for Pastime Magazine, 1946
07. Watercolours, ca. 1973-1975, by Nuri Mass
08. 32 pen and ink drawings from ‘Where the Incas Trod’, ca. 1956, by Celeste Mass
09. Line drawings for Nuri Mass ‘China the Waking Giant’, ca. 1966, by Tess Horwitz
10. Line drawing of book cover of ‘the Inlander’, 1966-1968, by Tess Horwitz
11. Original drawing of book cover for ‘Don’t Kill It’ with proofs, by Tess Horwitz
12. Drawings and negatives for 'Many Paths', by Nuri and Celeste Mass
13. Advertising posters, brochures and TV series advertisements for ‘Many Paths, One Heaven’, by Nuri and Celeste Mass

BOX 2
Children’s book illustrations including watercolours and etchings mainly of fairies and gnomes for ‘Christmas Story’ and ‘Kosciusko the King’, ‘Australian Wildflower Fairies’ and ‘Wizard of Jenolan’ by Celeste Mass, ca. 1935
01. Xmas story
10. 'Title page – Xmas Story'
11. 'Xmas fairy'
12. 'Santa's helper'
02. Australian Wildflower Fairies, ca. 1967
17. 'But I am such a fairy orchid'
18. 'As day has just begun'
19. 'Became a little azure flower'
21. 'Queen of the butterflies'
Kosciusko the King
24. 'Bluebell fairy'
03. Christmas illustrations
04. The Gnome
Snow drop
The Bathing pool
Labor Omnia Vincit
The Staff meeting
The Stray dog's dream
The Voice of his conscience
I'm Coral - spirit of the great northern barrier (Magic Australia 32)
A Tiny wing the sweetest sort of blue
The Swing

BOX 3
Magic Australia, ca. 1943-1947:
31. 'The Council of Elders'
32. 'Hail desert, pea'
33. 'Always the face remained the same, gazing and gazing'
34. 'A lonely little figure in the shade of the shade of a pandanus palm'
35. 'He looked just like a great, purple range of mountains'
36. 'He called even a little more shrilly this time'

The little grammar people, ca. 1942-1947:
37. 'Consider your foolish positions in sentences'
39. 'A dense dark forest'

BOX 4
Loose line drawings for various unidentified children's books and illustrations for ‘Kosciusko the King’ by Nuri Mass, ‘The Little Grammar People’, ‘Wizard of Jenolan’ by Celeste Mass
Comic strips, line/ink drawings:
1. 'Chips'
2. 'Matilda'
3. 'Larry and Loo'
4. 'Koori'
5. 'Snow drop'
6. 'Gnome'
7. 'The Swing'

BOX 5
01-02. Botanical drawings ‘The Wonderland of Nature’ by Nuri Mass, ca. 1964-1968
03. Drawing of Celeste Mass self portrait, 1925
04. Original illustrations for Australian Children’s Word Magazine, 1945
05. Botanical pen and ink line drawings and proofs by Nuri Mass for ‘Wildflower Magic’, ca. 1967 and ‘Australian Wildflower Fairies’, ca. 1937-1945
06. ‘Flowers of the Australian Alps' botanical drawings and proofs, ca. 1967, by Nuri Mass
07. Poster of advertisement for ‘Flowers of the Australian Alps’, by Nuri Mass, ca. 1967
08. Two original colour illustrations from 'Wildflower Magic', by Nuri Mass

BOX 6
SKETCHBOOKS AND ALBUMS
01-02. Two student sketchbooks botanical drawings, Sydney Girls High School Moore Park, 1936-1937, by Nuri Mass
03-04. Two sketchbooks of botanical line drawings and watercolours, ca. 1939-1947, by Nuri Mass
05. Original line/ink artwork on posterboard of ‘The Writer’s Press’ trademark

BOX 7
01. Garamyan Newsletter watercolours and drawings
02. Four drawings in pen, pencil and watercolour by Tom Macdonald
03-04. Watercolours, 1940s-1980s
05. Self-portrait by Celeste Mass
06. Album of watercolour paintings, 1940s-1980s
07. Nuri Mass sketchbook

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2013-2014

Forms part of Nuri and Celeste Mass personal papers, literary correspondence and manuscripts, ca. 1920-1993 MLMSS 9260