Florence Broadhurst
The complex, eccentric and talented woman who was Florence Broadhurst was born in rural Queensland, Australia in 1899. By the time of her death in 1977 Florence Broadhurst had lived and worked in Australia, Asia, and England; performed professionally on stage; been befriended by royalty; exhibited her paintings; and started an internationally successful wallpaper company whose success was based upon her own designs. She also found time to run a trucking company, start up a dress salon, play marbles with a strong competitive streak and agitate for womens rights.Broadhurst's revolutionary wallpaper business was established in 1959 and monopolised the quality end of the Australian market by the mid-1970s. She also exported to America, Peru, Paris, the Middle East and Norway. Florence Broadhurst abandoned convention and the restrictions of mass production, rapidly leaving the traditional, conservative handprinted wallpapers behind. Instead she created hundreds of unique and luxurious patterns. She combined fuscia pinks, lemon yellows, lime greens, vivid oranges, turquoise, blacks, metallic silvers and gold all perfectly matching her own flamboyant personality. Florence Broadhurst printed onto transparent mylars, foils and metallic papers. She called her revolutionary handprinted creations Vigorous designs for modern living. Florence Broadhurst worked actively until her death in October 1977 at the age of 78.
