Lulu Shorter

Lucie Emile Shorter (31 July 1887 – 12 August 1989), better known as Lulu Shorter was an Australian designer best known for her product designs, including the first commercially-successful Australian designs for Royal Doulton.

Biography
Cup and saucer owned by Miles Franklin, designed by Lucie Shorter, held by State Library of New South Wales

Lucie Shorter was born in the Sydney suburb of Burwood in 1887. She was the eldest of the seven children of John Shorter. John Shorter Pty Ltd, commonly known as Shorters, was an Australian manufacturers’ importing agency company, best known as the Australasian agent for the British ceramics firms Royal Doulton and Mintons.[1] John Shorter Pty Ltd remained the Doulton agents in Australia until 1979, when Royal Doulton Australia was established.[2] The family and business were, through two generations, major donors to the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney.[3][4] Her mother was also a gifted artist who had studied under Louis Bilton.

Shorter attended Wesleyan Ladies’ College and studied art at Granville Technical College under Alfred Coffey. After travelling to England for six months with her father in 1908, she studied at the National Art School, East Sydney Technical College.[5] She returned to the United Kingdom numerous times.[5]

She painted ceramics for Royal Doulton.[5][6] Her Waratah cup and saucer was part of their first commercially-successful Australian design and was used by writer Miles Franklin who reportedly gave guests turns to use it.[6] Being a free-lance artist, Shorter was not paid for her design, but given a large Edward Raby vase instead.[7] The Waratah Cup is held alongside her publication The Book of the Waratah Cup as part of the collection of the State Library of New South Wales. Her work is also held in the National Gallery of Australia, and includes examples from the full waratah dinner set, in addition to numerous drawings.[8][9][10][11]

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References
  1. Arianne Rourke, 'Shorter, Lucie Emilie (Lulu) (1887–1989)', Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  2. Pristine Antiques and Collectables – History of Royal Doulton in Australia. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. Shorter, John; Technological Museum (N.S.W.) (1936), The John Slater collection of Doulton pottery : being a descriptive guide to the collection of Doulton wares presented to the Sydney Technological Museum by Messrs. John and Arthur Shorter, Sydney, August 1932, Sydney Technological Museum, retrieved 28 May 2013
  4. Powerhouse Museum. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  5. "Lucie Emilie Shorter b. 31 July 1887". Design & Art Australia Online. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. "Miles Franklin waratah cup and saucer". search.sl.nsw.gov.au. State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. Cochrane, Peter (25 July 1988). "Why Lulu's old china set is too good for tea". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. Doulton & Co: Shorter, Lucie. "Cake plate from Tea service in". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  9. Doulton & Co: Shorter, Lucie. "Plate from Tea service in". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  10. Doulton & Co: Shorter, Lucie. "Tea cup from Tea service in". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  11. "NGA collection search results: Lucie Shorter". artsearch.nga.gov.au. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
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