Nora Burden

Nora Burden (24 May 1908 – 25 December 1992) was a South Australian stained glass artist.

Burden was born in Adelaide, the eldest daughter of engineer Frank Robert Burden (1877–1960) and Emily Rosa Burden, née Martin, (1875–1960) a daughter of vigneron Henry M. "Harry" Martin. The newly married couple first lived at "Poltalloch" the Bowman property near Meningie, where Frank was responsible for all the machinery. They then moved to suburban Fullarton, where their first four children Charles, Nora, Rosa and Hester were born.[1] Frank served with the First AIF in France and by war's end had been promoted to captain. He was briefly chief engineer with Tarrants and Autocars vehicle builders in Melbourne then in 1922 founded, with Sidney Crawford and L. M. Anderson, Adelaide Motors, South Australia's first Fiat agency.[2] He later acquired the South Australian agency for the John Deere tractor company,[3]

Burden studied painting at the S.A. School of Arts and Crafts and began working as a stained glass artist for A. E. Clarkson Ltd., an old established Adelaide glass firm, which was then on Rundle Street.[4]

She served as tutor and mentor to South Australian stained glass artist Vanessa Smith née Lambe (1917–2005), whose work adorns many Anglican churches in South Australia.[5] She worked for a time in Sydney and Melbourne before returning to Adelaide. She served as Art Mistress at Annesley College.[1]

Burden married Dimiter Petroff (25 March 1915 – 28 January 1997) on 30 April 1954;[6] they had no children. She was an aunt of painter Helen "Penny" Dowie (born 3 August 1948).

  1. ^ a b The Martin/Clark Book Committee (1999). The Hatbox Letters. pp. 122–125.
  2. ^ ""FIAT" Agency". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXXVII, no. 25, 396. South Australia. 20 May 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 4 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Advertising". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. LXXX, no. 4, 230. South Australia. 9 December 1937. p. 94. Retrieved 4 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Church Window Artistry". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 23, no. 1, 153. South Australia. 30 June 1934. p. 16. Retrieved 14 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia. This article has interesting details on stained glass techniques.
  5. ^ "SA Memory: Vanessa Smith, Glass Artist". State Library of South Australia (source: Adelaide Church Guardian, September 2001, p. 5). Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  6. ^ "About People". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 96, no. 29, 812. South Australia. 3 May 1954. p. 15. Retrieved 4 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.