Harry Cotterell collections

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Harry Prudencio Cotterell (1892-1966) was a painter and commercial artist who also dabbled in the performing arts, although little is known of his story. The State Library of Queensland holds several of his works, including the one featured above.

Biography

Harry was born in Barton, England and having served with the Gloucestershire Yeomanry during the First World War, emigrated to Australia in 1920 with 80 other ex-servicemen nominated by friends and family. He studied briefly at the Julian Ashton Art School before relocating to Brisbane with his wife Grace. Here he established a sign-writing business, with close associations with the performing arts - creating advertisements and animations for the Wintergarden and St James Theatres - progressing to set design, on stage and radio performances - most particularly with the Twelfth Night Theatre, with roles in 'Macbeth' in 1950 and 'Juno and the Paycock' in 1954.

Harry and Grace had four children, Eleanor Howard 'Dinky' 1924-2020; Pauline, 1926-2010; Geraldine, 1927-1963; and Francis Henry, 1929-2002.  They resided for many years at Simpsons Road, Bardon (purchased with a deposit provided by close friend, artist William Bustard).

War Service

In 1941 Harry enlisted in the Australian Army, age 49 and was assigned to the 3rd Australian Mechanical Transport Training Depot, from which he was medically discharged in March 1945. In 1943 an article appeared in the Courier Mail describing an A.W.A.S. ballet directed by Sergeant Harry Cotterell, Australian Motor Transport Training School, together with Sergeant Bob Aird, comedian of the Theatre Royal, and Joe Greenfield, a well known Ballet master from the Cremorne Theatre.

Their daughter Eleanor also served during the Second World War with the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) as a Fire Control Operator, from 1943-1946, she later married William Carvosso, in 1954.

Art Works and Exhibitions

Harry was also a member of the Marburg Art Group (variously named) along with other notable Queensland artists - Ralph Weppner ; George 'Wilson' Cooper ; James Wieneke ; Charles Lancaster and Herbert Carstens - who regularly sketched in the Marburg area during the 1940s and 1950s. The State Library holds a number of photographs of this group, as well as a small selection of their artworks.

Little is known of his exhibition history - in 1924 he exhibited three oils: Realisation, Interior and Khalassa, with the Queensland Art Society at the Wintergarden Theatre, with a number of notable artists - William Bustard, Vida Lahy, Rubery Bennett; and in 1954 he exhibited works alongside Charles Lancaster, Hubert Jarvis and Frank Sherrin at the Moreton Galleries.

Today, a number of his works are still held by the Cotterell family, and in 2020 a virtual exhibition was held by the Australiana Society featuring a work titled 'Farming at Highvale' by Harry Cotterell, but its location is unknown.

Read more …

View: Harry Cotterell collections at the State Library of Queensland

View: OMFV Royal Queensland Art Society records

Service record: Harry Cotterell, National Archives of Australia, Series B884, Item ID 4450980
Service record: Eleanor Cotterell, National Archives of Australia, Series B884, Item ID 4863390

ABC Radio Plays, 1955-1958

• The Elephant's Tale by Charles Hatton. 16 October 1955 (cast)
• Deserter by William Jenner. 29 January 1956 (cast)
• Badger's Green by R.C. Sherriff. 2 December 1956 (cast)
• Hot Gold by Henrietta Drake-Brockman. 10 February 1957 (cast)
• The Informer by Liam O'Flaherty. 27 April 1958

Article:
A.W.A.S. ballet at camp concert, The Courier Mail, 22 June 1943, p.3