Violet Teague

Born in Melbourne on 21 February 1872, Violet Teague became a well-known Australian artist and printmaker, and she also wrote for children. She studied art in Melbourne and later traveled and worked overseas, building a career that ranged across painting, printmaking, design, and book illustration.

Teague is especially remembered for the richness and variety of her work. Along with portraits and decorative art, she produced scenes inspired by Australia, including Central Australia, and collaborated on the 1898 book Night Fall in the Ti-Tree, often described as one of Australia’s first children’s picture books. Her work was shown in Australia and abroad, reflecting both technical skill and a strong independent streak.

She died on 30 September 1951 at Mount Eliza, Victoria. Today she is remembered as a distinctive figure in Australian cultural life: an artist who moved easily between fine art and publishing, and whose career helped widen ideas about what women artists could do.