Historical information

Alice Watson studied at the Ballarat Technical Art School (at the School of Mines, Ballarat) from 1930 until 1933.

Watson sat several departmental exams, including drawing and painting plant forms from nature, lettering, Composition of Form and Colour and advanced General Design, as well as dressmaking and embossed leatherwork.

General Design examinations required only designs on paper, and not the full execution of an object (which was the case for Applied Design exams).
Watson's folio applies many Australian native floral elements to design.

Upon graduating, Watson taught at the Murtoa High School, living with her parents until their deaths in 1972 and 1988 when she was 74 years old.

Alice Watson died in Ballarat, aged 95, having conserved her beautiful student folio, which was generously gifted to the Federation University permanent Historical Collection by the Watson family.

Physical description

Watercolour painting of a standing woman with short light brown hair, in a green striped sleeveless shirt, a dark green shorts, and green heels, she is at the beach and there are birds in the background.

Inscriptions & markings

Watermark (1917 UNBLEACHED ARNOLD)