On a perfect Sydney spring afternoon, our Volunteer group of Clare, Kate, Algerim, Maria along with Jennifer and myself,, Helen, headed to May Gibbs’ Nutcote in Neutral Bay for the October outing. Nestled into the hillside and surrounded by large period houses and modern mansions, Nutcote is a small, but picturesque, house museum and the former residence of renowned Australia author and artist, May Gibbs.
From the street entrance via the charming shop that occupies the former garage, we made our way past the café terrace (open on weekends) and down through May’s very pretty English garden. While we waited for our guided tour of Nutcote we couldn’t resist exploring the waterfront terraces and admiring the stunning harbour views beautifully framed by the original native garden. I could have easily stayed there all afternoon, watching the boats on the harbour and pondering where I might find $10-$15 million dollars or so, but our tour of the house was ready to start!
Nutcote House itself is a modest house compared to its neighbours but sits sympathetically within the landscape on a stunning waterfront block. Cleverly designed to Gibbs’ specifications, all of its rooms have harbour views and radiate from a central living room connected to a Mediterranean style verandah. Built in the 1920’s in a version of the Arts and Crafts style, it features period furnishings, her home studio and many original features including timber joinery and a quaint original kitchen and bathroom. Dotted throughout the house are fantastic examples of Gibbs works, from books to cartoons and drawings, as well as some of her personal possessions.
Born in England in 1877, Gibbs’ family moved to Australia when she was a child and young May developed a life-long love of exploring the bush that would inspire her professional success. Gibbs’ artistic talent was recognised early and, after studying and working in England as a young adult, Gibbs returned to Australia and established herself as a professional illustrator and cartoonist, working across a range of genres and media. In the 1910s, May Gibbs drew on her childhood memories and her regular day trips into the countryside to write and illustrate her ‘bush babies’ series, including the enormously successful Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books. Other iconic Gibbs works were her gum leaf bookmarks and postcards sent to Australian troops in WWI, her 43 year long Bib and Bub syndicated comic strip and her Dr Stork and Mrs Kookaburra work for the Public Health Department promoting maternal welfare – an illustration that was used for nearly 30 years on the newborn baby handbook for mothers. In post-Federation Australia, May Gibbs’ work combined beautifully drawn and uniquely Australian flora and fauna with whimsical characters, gentle humour, charming naiveté and patriotic sentiments, tapping into an emerging, distinctly Australian, national identity and acting as an antidote to the horrors of WWI.
Talking to our excellent tour guide Suzanne, we also learned that May Gibbs was not just an accomplished artist and author but a woman ahead of her time. From her instinctive understanding of the importance of branding, copyrighting and design, her interest in the suffragette movement, and independent travel and career choices, to designing her own house and embedding conservation messages in her works, Gibbs was a trailblazer both personally and professionally. Marrying later in life, Gibbs didn’t have children of her own but was captivated by them and continued to produce engaging and popular books and cartoons for children for many years. On her death, her estate, including rights to her works, was bequeathed to charity to benefit children.
May Gibbs’ characters and illustrations continue to resonate with readers and shoppers today. With ongoing book sales and ‘bush babies’ designs licenced on clothing and other products, royalties from sales of Gibbs’ works continue to fund two major Australian children’s charities. As we visited the shop after our tour, it struck me how her designs still have enormous aesthetic appeal even 100 years later – I think I’ll be heading back there to do some Christmas shopping!
After our lovely visit we headed to the wharf for a late coffee, more chatting and a very scenic ferry ride back to Circular Quay, as the harbour sparkled in the afternoon sunshine. All agreed that Nutcote was an excellent choice.
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES
Nutcote House & Gardens: 5 Wallaringa Avenue, Neutral Bay, 2089
https://www.maygibbs.com.au/
More information about May Gibbs
Stunning digitised archive and terrific biography of May Gibbs at State Library of NSW
Powerhouse Collection objects include:
All images: Helen Grant (unless indicated otherwise)
Helen Grant
Volunteer Program Officer