Barbara Tyrrell

Barbara Tyrrell was born on 15 March 1912 in Durban. Her father worked for the apartheid-era Department of Native Affairs, and this took them to the town of Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal. Here she was surrounded by Zulu culture, and it sparked her desire to learn more about African languages and culture. It was during this time that she became fluent in the Zulu language. After training at the Natal Technical College Art School and graduating with a BA, Tyrrell worked for some time as an art teacher. In 1944, Tyrrell decided to buy an old van and take her first solo trip to work among the AmaNgwane people of the Drakensberg. After this experience, she dedicated her life to researching the traditional dress and ornaments of African people, which she realised was fast disappearing.

The individuals in her portraits were from different parts of Southern Africa, like Namibia and Swaziland. Tyrrell’s portraits depicted African people in their cultural attire and ornaments. Tyrrell often commissioned individuals, some of whom she knew by name, and in certain cases, paid them to pose for her portraits. Although the initial images were done in pencil, the artist later reworked them into paintings done with watercolour, gouache, pen, and ink. Tyrrell also published a number of books inspired by her travels, the people she drew, and their culture, traditions, and dress. Her first book, titled A Medley of South African Caravan Verse, was published in 1945. Some of her other books included Tribal Peoples of Southern Africa, published in 1968, and Barbara Tyrrell: Her African Quest (1996). The artist also painted and sketched images of flowers, landscapes, and wildlife.

In 1952, Tyrrell married Pete Jurgens, who was a cameraman and stuntman. They made their home in Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal and had one son. After settling in Richmond, Tyrrell documented in her sketches the Bhaca people. A large amount of Tyrrell’s images were acquired by the Killie Campbell Africana Library in KwaZulu-Natal; they bought 700 of her 1200 original field sketches. The remainder of her original field sketches were obtained by the Oppenheimer family’s Brenthurst Library. Her completed artworks are also held in various important collections, including the Constitutional Court Art Collection in Johannesburg. Tyrrell passed away on 23 September 2015, at the age of 103, but her legacy continues in her various images that are present throughout the continent of Africa.