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Double Act: Eirene Mort and Nora Kate Weston
In this joint biography, Sylvia Martin delves deeper into the unconventional lives of two of Australia’s prominent female artists. Turning a queer lens on Eirene Mort and Nora Kate Weston, Martin explores the deep and enduring relationship that underpinned their public creative partnership for over 60 years.
Eirene Mort (1879–1977) and Nora Kate Weston (1880–1965) were dynamic ‘New Women’ who made valuable contributions to art in Australia, challenged gender conventions and were determined to be recognised as professional artists in spite of the societal conventions of the time.
Though better known today, Eirene always regarded her work with Nora as collaborative, a sentiment that Double Act embraces, drawing Nora out of the shadows to take equal place in a relationship that the women considered complementary and intertwined.
Structured chronologically, Double Act also includes ‘spotlights’ on particular artistic themes, such as Eirene’s botanical art, the pair’s joint creations and Eirene’s bookplates. Martin – a queer woman herself – uses self-reflection as a tool throughout to deepen the impact of this beautiful and moving dual biography.
This book will appeal to readers interested in art, design and social history, including queer history. Martin has drawn on the extensive papers, artworks, photographs and more in the National Library of Australia’s collections. The a richly illustrated and important biography of the shared lives of Eirene Mort and Nora Kate Weston.
Eirene Mort (1879–1977) and Nora Kate Weston (1880–1965) were dynamic ‘New Women’ who made valuable contributions to art in Australia, challenged gender conventions and were determined to be recognised as professional artists in spite of the societal conventions of the time.
Though better known today, Eirene always regarded her work with Nora as collaborative, a sentiment that Double Act embraces, drawing Nora out of the shadows to take equal place in a relationship that the women considered complementary and intertwined.
Structured chronologically, Double Act also includes ‘spotlights’ on particular artistic themes, such as Eirene’s botanical art, the pair’s joint creations and Eirene’s bookplates. Martin – a queer woman herself – uses self-reflection as a tool throughout to deepen the impact of this beautiful and moving dual biography.
This book will appeal to readers interested in art, design and social history, including queer history. Martin has drawn on the extensive papers, artworks, photographs and more in the National Library of Australia’s collections. The a richly illustrated and important biography of the shared lives of Eirene Mort and Nora Kate Weston.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2026
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May 15, 2026
Sylvia Martin’s growing series of lesbian biographies have been impressive and fascinating. She writes beautifully and is neither afraid of imaginative interpretations nor drawing the reader into parallels in her own life. Indeed, I occasionally find facets and people from my own life appearing, so I never have any trouble reading Sylvia’s books with delight. The familiar people and places of her investigations of these lesbian stories make me feel somehow solidly grounded and comfortable. I was looking forward to the publication of Double Act because one of my old friends, David Mort, was related to Eirene Mort and I was familiar with her wonderful bookplates and knew of her remarkable talents. At the opening, I encountered Margaret Oppen who, with my mother, founded the Embroiderer’s Guild.
But it was not until the final chapter of Double Act that I realised that the book had become a struggle to come to terms with an absence of presence. Neither Nora Weston nor Eirene Mort ever make an entrance as flesh and blood people. Sylvia has access to some of their work (though not much of Nora’s) but objects of craft (clever as they may be) are not the person. The ‘Double Act’ of the title is palpably absent, not only as symbiotic craft workers but as a couple.
At a physical level the book was a treat to the eye, but it was hard to hold open and felt so stiff, that if I opened it fully, it would break. In some respects, this is also a metaphor for why this absence of presence felt so unsatisfactory. It may have been possible for Sylvia to imagine this relationship in a novel and she would probably done a fine job. But here it is, and as much I would like to give it more stars, it falls short.
But it was not until the final chapter of Double Act that I realised that the book had become a struggle to come to terms with an absence of presence. Neither Nora Weston nor Eirene Mort ever make an entrance as flesh and blood people. Sylvia has access to some of their work (though not much of Nora’s) but objects of craft (clever as they may be) are not the person. The ‘Double Act’ of the title is palpably absent, not only as symbiotic craft workers but as a couple.
At a physical level the book was a treat to the eye, but it was hard to hold open and felt so stiff, that if I opened it fully, it would break. In some respects, this is also a metaphor for why this absence of presence felt so unsatisfactory. It may have been possible for Sylvia to imagine this relationship in a novel and she would probably done a fine job. But here it is, and as much I would like to give it more stars, it falls short.
Displaying 1 of 1 review