Merric and Doris Boyd at home, Open Country, with their family, complete, in 1943, gathered for a photograph by Albert Tucker whose companion Joy Hester, lazes on one arm to the right.
The Boyd family is an Australian family whose members over several generations contributed to the arts in the fields of painting, sculpture, pottery, ceramics, literature, architecture, poetry and music. The Boyd family is considered an artistic dynasty.
Major Alexander Boyd (1 August 1792 – 21 August 1869), paymaster of the 11th Regiment of Foot (The North Devonshire Regiment of Foot), arrived in Van Diemen's Land in 1845, possibly with his wife, Susan Boyd, née Brown, (May 1796 – ).
Arthur Merric Boyd married Emma Minnie à Beckett (known as Minnie). Both were already individually established in society as painters. They had five children, four of whom became prominent in the Australian artistic world. When their children had matured, married or settled elsewhere, Arthur Merric and Emma Minnie Boyd lived in a connecting property to their son, Merric Boyd and family in Wahroongaa Crescent, Murrumbeena but then in 1924 moved to 5 Edward Street, Sandringham.[5][6] When his wife died in 1936 Arthur Merric moved to a family cottage at Rosebud[7] on the Mornington Peninsula on the shores of Port Phillip Bay and in 1939 returned to Wahroongaa Crescent, Murrumbeena where he lived out his last days.
John Gilbert à Beckett Boyd (1886–1896) was killed in a riding accident.
William Merric Boyd (1888–1959), potter,[4][8] married Doris Gough (1889–1960), painter.[9] Doris and Merric Boyd, newly married, found their home there, at Murrumbeena, naming it "Open Country," establishing a continuance of artistic tradition to the name Boyd.
Cassandra (1956– ) painter, born in Melbourne. Lived in France from 1971[12]
Mary Elizabeth Boyd (1926–2016),[17] early age paint and pottery acquaintance, a chronicling photographer from 1960's. Married firstly, November 1944, John Perceval, painter, potter, and sculptor, and had four children.
Matthew
Tessa
Celia
Alice Mary married secondly, in 1978, Sir Sidney Nolan, painter, becoming Lady Nolan.
Helen Read à Beckett Boyd (1903–1999), late painter, married Neven Read, naval officer.
Gayner Read (1936–1988), painter. Two sons.
Susan Read (1938–), children Pennie Easton, Ken Easton, Greame Easton.
Andrew Read (1942–), Arthur Read, Rossie Read.
Prudence Read (1947–)
It was in 1955 when David Boyd with his wife Hermia returned from a stay of several successful working years as potters in England and the south of France that the conception of this family line was popularised in a display of public relations in the press, magazines and the media (radio in 1955, television arrived 1956) that dismayed most family members. David was working full-scale promoting the circumstances of his life for the benefit of the pottery exhibitions of his and his wife's work, and magazine editors found the thick patina of past grandeur as presented to them by David irresistible and pages of glory adorned the 1955 magazines and newspaper articles. From here on, in the family's history no members could think of themselves again as quite so elite or socially removed although in the popular sense as an artistic family the notoriety was never greater. The generations that followed (including those born before 1955) grew up in this imposed social and cultural circumstance.
