Florence Sulman (13 January 1876–15 June 1965) was an English-Australian author and educationalist.

Life and work

Sulman was born in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

, England on 13 January 1876. She was the eldest daughter of John Sulman and Sarah Clarke. She attended Miss Wheeler's school in Bromley before moving to Australia with her sister in 1886 to join her parents and brother who were living in New South Wales. Her mother died in 1888. She was educated at Abbotsleigh school in Parramatta. She became involved with the Society of Arts and Crafts in 1910 before moving back to England with her brother Geoffrey in 1916 and began teaching craft to recovering soldiers. Her brother died in an aircraft accident in 1917 and she moved back to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. She became involved with the Society of Arts and Crafts again and was the president from 1928 until 1936. She travelled throughout Europe and sent home samples from the Englishwoman Exhibition of Arts and Handicrafts, some of which were bought by

Technological Museum The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Although often de ...

in Sydney. She also lectured on new trends in crafting. She published ''A Popular Guide to the Wild Flowers of New South Wales'' over two volumes between 1913 and 1914. The book was illustrated with prints by

Eirene Mort Eirene Mort (1879–1977) was an Australian artist, art teacher, printmaker, cartoonist, fashion designer and founder of the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales. Early life Eirene Mort was born on 17 November 1879 at Woollahra. Her ...

. She collaborated with Mort on several other projects aimed at educating young children including a painting book and postcards. From 1914 onwards she became involved with the Kindergarten Union of New South Wales. She was the vice-president of the Surry Hills Free Kindergarten and later president of the Kindergarten Union. During her time with the union she equipped a tea-room; established a shop called Playways Kindergarten Toy Shop; donated the money she made from her painting book on wildflowers, lectured on the development in preschool education in other countries; established a bursary at

Sydney Kindergarten and Preparatory Teachers' College Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

; and she helped to create kindergarten jobs for teachers during the depression. In 1933 she collaborated with F. H. Booth to publish ''Catalogue: Loan Exhibition of Antiques, Ecclesiastical Vestments and Architectural Photographs in Aid of the Kindergarten Union of N.S.W.'' She became an honorary life-member of the union in 1952. She also helped her stepmother by working at the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children, became involved with the state branch of the Australian Red Cross and was awarded with an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in 1958 for her work in children's welfare. She died in Mona Vale,

on 15 June 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulman, Florence 1876 births 1965 deaths People from Bromley English women writers English women educators 19th-century English educators 20th-century English educators Australian women writers Australian women educators 19th-century Australian educators 20th-century Australian educators Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire British emigrants to colonial Australia