Marjorie Graham’s house
West Ryde NSW
Marjorie Graham (1924-1994) was a collector, researcher and writer. She was the author of two pioneering surveys of Australian pottery and glass and was a regular columnist for the Australian Antique Collector.
Her house was a red brick bungalow typical of many built in the mid-1950s, and furnished in the 1950s mainly from the Sydney firm W. Grant's Furnishings Pty Ltd. The furnishings reflect the mainstream taste of this period for well-made colonial revival furniture, regency striped fabrics and sheer synthetic curtains.
While typical of many suburban interiors of the 1950s, this house was extraordinary because of its intact state which included not only dining chairs with their original protective plastic covering, but also annotated Grant furniture catalogues documenting all that had been purchased. Her collection of Australian ceramics was housed mostly in one room of her home but some items, including a rare plate issued in the 1850s for the Launceston Horticultural Society, can be seen displayed on the walls of other rooms. On her death in May 1994 the collection and house contents were auctioned by Lawsons and the house sold.
Photographer: Louise Lister
Date Photographed: 1994
Original image format: 35mm mounted slides
Copyright: Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Photograph © Louise Lister
Further reading: John Wade, “Reflections on a collection: Marjorie Yvonne Graham (b.28 May 1924, d 30 May 1994)” Australiana, February 1995, pp.11-13
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