Mrs Larritt presents the second iteration of Mrs Larritt in Upside-down Country – an exhibition of lithographs and drawings celebrating the caring role and early married life of Maggie Larritt (1835 -1908), wife of the first Surveyor of Bendigo.  This body of work acknowledges the singularly European view of the colonial migrants as they lived on Dja Dja Wurrung land.

This exhibition was originally presented at Dudley House, Bendigo – once the Surveyor’s Office and residence – and home to Maggie and her family.

(NB Upside-down Country – The name given by the Dja Dja Wurrung to their land desecrated by gold mining.)

Building was started at Dudley House Bendigo in 1858. It was to be the Surveyor’s Office and residence. Perhaps there was some sense of urgency to have the building finished for Richard Larritt and his new bride Maggie? Their wedding was in April 1858, although the building wasn’t finished until sometime in 1859.

What was life like for Maggie Larritt, a colonial woman in the first years of her marriage? Her husband was mapping the streets of early Bendigo and women were encouraged to be the ‘Angel in the House’ as per Coventry Patmore’s poem of that name. The poem was popular in the era, espousing ideals of devotion grace and purity for women who would primarily remain in the domestic sphere. It is interesting to note that Virginia Woolf wrote later of ‘Killing the Angel in the House’.

Flowers were seen as an appropriate subject for a woman to explore and while there is little information available about Maggie Larritt, it is highly likely she was aware of Indigenous flowers. Yet it is unlikely that she appreciated their importance as a food source.

Works for Mrs Larritt have been made in consultation with Dja Dja Wurrung elders who provided information regarding food plants of significance.