Guide to the Papers of Ninette Dutton., 1890-2007

Summary

Collection number:

MS 10111

Creator:

Dutton, Ninette, 1923-2008 and Dutton, Tisi

Extent:

10.05 metres and (50 ms boxes + 4 folio boxes + 1 elephant folio)

Language:

English and English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as, 'Papers of Ninette Dutton, National Library of Australia, MS 10111, [series and file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The collection comprises correspondence; manuscript and typescript drafts and original illustrations, mostly relating to Ninette Dutton's published works; photographs; newspapers cuttings, travel journals and early family papers. There is a small group of papers of Geoffrey Dutton, which include correspondence and drafts of his writings.

The strength of this collection lies in the large component of correspondence. During the course of her career and life, Ninette Dutton developed friendships with many well known people in the literary and arts world and letters of many of them, some over a number of years, are included in the collection. In addition, there are the early letters between Ninette and Geoffrey, which document their war time romance and reflect their day-to-day lives in the forces – Geoffrey in the RAAF and Ninette in WAAAF. There is also a large run of letters between Geoffrey and his mother, Emily Dutton, dating from his early days as a border at Geelong Grammar, and continuing on through his time studying and travelling in Europe. These news-filled letters provide an insight into their lives at this time.

Principal correspondents in the collection include Richard Adlington, Sir Walter Campbell, Bruce Chatwin, Dymphna and Manning Clark, Walter Crocker, Denison Deasey, Russell Drysdale, Sumner Locke-Elliott, Shirley Hazzard, Max Harris, Peg Hesse (Princess Margaret of Hesse), Barry Humphries, Alister Kershaw, David Marr, Mirka Mora, Les Murray, Gino Nibbi, Elizabeth Riddell, Nicholas Shakespeare, Jeffrey Smart, Tom Shapcott, Randolph Stow and Patrick White.

Biographical Note:

Ninette Clarice Florence Dutton (née Trott) was born in Adelaide on 24 July 1922. She studied Social Science at Adelaide University and joined the WAAAF as a driver during World War II. In 1944 Ninette married Geoffrey Dutton, with whom she had three children.

In 1946 they travelled to England where Geoffrey studied English at Magdalen College, Oxford. They returned to Australia in 1951, travelling overland by car via Europe and Asia, where they settled in Adelaide. Geoffrey took up a post lecturing in English at Adelaide University and went on to establish a name for himself in the literary world as an author and editor. He was involved in the establishment of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and its Writers' Week in 1960 and in 1965 was co-founder of Sun Books with Brian Stonier.

Ninette was closely involved in Geoffrey's literary activities from the beginnings of his career and over the period of their marriage. Their association with local and international writers at events such as the Adelaide Festival resulted in the formation of close personal relationships with many well known figures in the literary and art world.

In 1983, Ninette and Geoffrey separated and were divorced in 1985.

As well as supporting Geoffrey in his career, Ninette was an artist and author in her own right. She established a reputation for her work as an enamellist, studying the art overseas in Europe and the USA. She held exhibitions of her work, received commissions in Australia for works in public spaces and is represented in the Art Gallery of South Australia and private collections around the world.

Ninette had a great love of the Australian landscape, native plants and gardening. She combined these interests in several published books, most of which are illustrated with her own beautifully executed botanical paintings and drawings. From 1989 to 1991 Ninette published a weekly gardening column in The Advertiser, from which resulted her book A passionate gardener. She also published autobiographical works, including Firing and Home.

In 1994 Ninette was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community and to the arts as an artist, particularly as an enameller.

Ninette Dutton died at Katoomba, New South Wales, on 7 July 2007.

Provenance:

The papers were purchased from Ninette Dutton's children, following her death in 2007.

Arrangement:

The papers in this collection were accumulated over a lifetime. When received, they were in no discernable order and have been grouped into series and files by the Library. The large component of correspondence has been grouped and listed chronologically, except for a small component of letters from several authors which Ninette grouped for a period of time. These groupings have been retained and listed as a subseries of the general correspondence series.

Indexed terms

Names:

Dutton, Tisi

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for reference. Not for loan.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as, 'Papers of Ninette Dutton, National Library of Australia, MS 10111, [series and file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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