Mabel Lesslie

 

Jeannie Mabel Lesslie was born in Sydney in 1881. In the 1800's, she and her family moved from Woollahra to "Braemar", their newly competed house in Lindsay Street, Burwood where Mabel lived for the rest of her life.

Mabel studied china painting, pottery and design at the Sydney Technical College. She was an active member of The Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales and regularly contributed work to their exhibitions. Examples of her work are held in the Australian National Gallery and the Technological Museum (now known as the Powerhouse Museum).

Much of Mabel's work features Australian flora and fauna, often rendered in Art Nouveau style. Mabel also experimented with other craft forms including butterfly wing jewellery making and pyrography.

Jeannie Mabel Lesslie died at Burwood on the 15th May 1961 and was buried at Rookwood Necropolis Sydney N.S.W.

Mabel's work is featured in Australian Art Pottery published by Casuarina Press, Sydney 2004.