Edith Susan Boyd

Edith Susan Gerard Anderson (16 February 1880 – 31 March 1961), who became Edith Susan Boyd when she married, was an Australian artist, dramatist, and painter. She was also known for being a model for the artist Emanuel Phillips Fox, notably in his 1912 painting Nasturtiums.

She was the youngest child in her family. She was the daughter of John Gerard Anderson, the head of the Department of Public Instruction, and Edith Sarah Wood. Their grandfather was Reverend James Anderson. They married in Paris on 15 October 1912; at their wedding, she was given away by Fox because of the close friendship the couple had with the painter. Following the marriage, Edith Susan Gerard Anderson changed her name to Edith Susan Boyd.

Anderson had to assist Boyd following his return from war because he was gassed in Ypres in 1917 and was left with lasting physical problems. Robin Boyd became an influential Australian architect, writer, teacher, and social commentator.

In 1922, Anderson and her family sold "The Robins" and moved to Sydney, Australia. Here Penleigh Boyd was hired by Sydney Ure Smith as one of the organizers of a major exhibition of contemporary European art. Because of this opportunity, Anderson and her family moved to England to select paintings for this exhibition, but Penleigh Boyd returned to Australia without Anderson in June 1923 because their marriage was tumultuous during this time.

Career

Modeling career Edith Susan Gerard Anderson attended the Slade School in London in 1905 and also lived in Paris, modeling for the artist Emanuel Phillips Fox. Fox was attracted to Anderson as a model "by her rich auburn hair and grey-green eyes—both fashionable at the time." Pictures of her have been described as "full of tender sympathy for the model." Many of the paintings that Anderson modeled for were painted in-situ in the small central courtyard located in the Fox studio-apartment on in Montparnasse. She appeared in up to seven possible paintings by this artist in 1912, including The green parasol, On the balcony, Nasturtiums, and Mrs. Penleigh Boyd.

Works Notable works of Edith Susan Gerard Anderson include: Mary had a little lamb Mimi The song of the morrow Water colors Blue mountains Margaret Portrait Sunlight Highlander

Later life and death In her later life, Anderson wrote several dramas that were staged by repertory companies, one being Three Roses, played by the Little Theatre in 1940, as well as radio plays for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.