PREVIOUSLY unseen images of Teesside steelmaking are part of an exhibition at Middlesbrough’s Dorman Museum.
More than 40 woodblock prints have been brought together for the exhibition, including 15 depicting the process of making steel.
They are the work of Yorkshire artist Viva Talbot who died in 1983 and who created the images during the 1930s when it was almost unknown for women to be allowed access to the grimy and dangerous steelworks.
The chance discovery of the prints in 2006 has generated a new research interest for their finder, Dr Joan Heggie, at Teesside University.
Initially, Dr Heggie was unable to find any information about Viva Talbot. Her name was absent from reference books and it was a mystery as to why and how she had gained such privileged access to the steelworks of Teesside.
Since then Dr Heggie has pieced together her story.
Viva was the daughter of Benjamin Talbot (1864-1947), the inventor of the Talbot tilting furnace which transformed the open hearth method of producing steel. Benjamin Talbot, from Shropshire, came to Teesside at the beginning of the 20th Century.
Having spent a decade working for iron companies in America, Talbot brought new ideas and inventions back to England.
He became involved with two companies in particular – Cargo Fleet Iron Company, Middlesbrough, and the South Durham Steel and Iron Company, Stockton, both of which are possible locations for the steelmaking images.
In the 1920s and 1930s Viva travelled extensively, frequently to Austria to take part in the Salzburg Festival, but also to Italy, America and the West Indies. Her travels are represented in the exhibition.
Viva married Thomas Nussey in 1941 and within a few years she became Lady Nussey when Thomas inherited a baronetcy from his father. They moved to Rushwood Hall, near West Tanfield, Ripon, where they stayed for the rest of their lives.
During her lifetime, Viva created hundreds of woodblock prints. The Dorman Museum exhibition also includes personal items such as sketch books, photos and a diary.
The exhibition runs until July 18. On Thursday, June 17, at 7pm Dr Heggie will give a talk at the museum about Viva Talbot and her work.