# Judith Fletcher

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**Ann Judith Fletcher** (30 June 1886 – 30 July 1970), known in later life as **Judith Paszek**, was a portrait and fashion photographer from Sydney.

## Early life

Fletcher was born on 30 June 1886 in [Katoomba, New South Wales](/source/Katoomba,_New_South_Wales).[1] Her parents were [Ann Marian Fletcher](/source/Ann_Marian_Fletcher) nee Clarke, an embroiderer who made the velvet bag to hold [The Ashes urn](/source/The_Ashes_urn), and [John Walter Fletcher](/source/John_Walter_Fletcher), a teacher, cricketer, and police magistrate, who is known as the 'father of Australian football' for his role in introducing soccer to Australia. She had five siblings including [Nora Kathleen Fletcher](/source/Nora_Kathleen_Fletcher), a nurse who led the [British Red Cross](/source/British_Red_Cross) in France and Belgium as principal matron in [World War I](/source/World_War_I), and [John Fletcher](/source/John_Fletcher_(Queensland_politician)) a cricketer and Queensland politician.[2] Fletcher grew up in Katoomba until the family moved to [Greenwich](/source/Greenwich,_New_South_Wales) in Sydney, where she stayed until she was married in 1934.[3]

## Career

She had a photography studio in Sydney's North Shore, where she worked from 1905 until 1930.[1] The first few years in her studio and practiced and refined her skills as an amateur art and at-home portrait photographer, particularly focussing on portraits of women and children, and exhibited her work in photographic salons.[4] She turned professional in 1908, with a focus in portraiture fashion and artistic photography.[1][4] She opened a studio in the city of Sydney in 1909 at 313 George Street, above the tailor Chorley and Co.[4][5]

Fletcher advertised her art photography using full page portraits of celebrities and socialites in [Sydney Ure Smith](/source/Sydney_Ure_Smith)'s [Art in Australia](/source/Art_in_Australia) publication.[6][4] As well as portraiture, Fletcher also worked in fashion photography.

Fletcher associated with other artists, including [Arthur Streeton](/source/Arthur_Streeton), [May and Mina Moore](/source/May_and_Mina_Moore).[6] She had a particularly close association with Frank Bell, a photographer from Manly, she supplied him with his equipment, and helped him to develop his technique.[4]

Fletcher took photographs of artists, actors and academics, such as [Arthur Streeton](/source/Arthur_Streeton),[4] [Marie Burke](/source/Marie_Burke),[7] and [Winifred Betts](/source/Winifred_Betts).[8] as well as prominent women in the philanthropy fields, such as [Olive Kelso King](/source/Olive_Kelso_King), [Mary Hughes](/source/Mary_Hughes),[9] and [Thea Stanley Hughes](/source/Thea_Stanley_Hughes).[10]

Fletcher continued to work and exhibit until the early 1930s.[4]

## Personal life and death

Fletcher was a [Theosophist](/source/Theosophist), and in the 1920s she became involved in the [Balmoral Beach](/source/Balmoral_Beach) [Krishnamurti](/source/Jiddu_Krishnamurti) [Star Amphitheatre](/source/Star_Amphitheatre) movement.[4] Fletcher took a portrait of fellow theosophist, the social activist [Annie Besant](/source/Annie_Besant).[11]

On 28 August 1934 Fletcher married Gerard Paszek,[12] a Polish violin maker. After she married she relocated first to [Mount Kuringai](/source/Mount_Kuring-gai,_New_South_Wales), and then to [Glenorie](/source/Glenorie,_New_South_Wales) where she lived for the rest of her life.[3] Her family stated that Paszek was a possessive man who would not let Fletcher out of his sight. She stopped connecting with former colleagues after her marriage.[4]

Fletcher died on 30 July 1970 in Glenorie, New South Wales, aged 84 years old.[13]

## References

1. ["Portrait of photographer Judith Fletcher, ca. 1940 \[picture\] Dalmar Studios - Catalogue"](https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/2568054). *National Library of Australia*. Retrieved 2024-12-16.

1. ["You Might Not Remember... J W Fletcher"](https://www.sydneyuniversitycricket.com.au/current-news/2017/3/27/you-might-not-remember-j-w-fletcher). *Sydney Uni Cricket*. 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2024-12-14.

1. ["Fletcher, Judith"](https://www.womenaustralia.info/entries/fletcher-judith/). *The Australian Women's Register*. Retrieved 2024-12-24.

1. ["Ann Judith Fletcher"](https://www.daao.org.au/bio/ann-judith-fletcher/biography/). *Design and Art Australia Online*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190903073204/https://www.daao.org.au/bio/ann-judith-fletcher/biography/) 2019-09-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-12-25.

1. ["Advertising"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245257460). *The Daily Telegraph*. No. 14,223. 10 July 1925. p. 11. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["Fletcher, Judith (1886-1971)"](https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/506003?c=people). *Trove: National Library of Australia*. Retrieved 2024-12-28.

1. ["No title"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222721514). *The Sun*. No. 4913. 5 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["No title"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169149106). *Sydney Mail*. Vol. XXV, no. 649. 3 September 1924. p. 23. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["Women's supplement"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page27076081). *The Daily Telegraph*. No. 14,599. 23 September 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["SYDNEY DISPLAY."](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17267190). *The Sydney Morning Herald*. No. 30,810. 1 October 1936. p. 22. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["Annie Besant: An interview with A. G. Stephens"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-375614424). *The Home : an Australian quarterly.*. Vol. 2, no. 2. Sydney: Art in Australia. 1 June 1922. Retrieved 25 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["Family Notices"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17079266). *The Sydney Morning Herald*. No. 30,156. 28 August 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 29 December 2024. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["Ann Judith Paszek"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-ann-judith-pas/160908649/). *The Sydney Morning Herald*. 1970-08-01. p. 120. Retrieved 2024-12-14. – via Newspapers.com.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Judith Fletcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Fletcher) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Fletcher?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.