Woman of the Week, Miss Mary Murphy, Evening Telegram, 1947, December 13, p.8
The choice for this Woman of the Week …[sic] is Miss Mary Murphy, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Murphy of Freshwater Road.
Miss Murphy has recently been appointed head of the Display Department of Bowring Brothers Limited. This position was formerly occupied by men only in this firm, and this is the first time that a woman has taken charge of display work, and she is to be congratulated on her rapid progress in this direction. Although she had no previous experience in the technique of window display, her instinctive sense of colour and design has been of great advantage. Her progress since joining the firm of Bowring Brothers in September can best be appreciated by a glance at the window she is now creating. Her first real achievement in Interior Display is the Christmas Wonderland, which has delighted so many kiddies and their parents.
Miss Murphy was educated at the Mercy Covent and St. Bride’s College (Littledale), and finished with a special art course at the Memorial College. In 1938 she was awarded a Diploma of Merit by the American Federal School of Art. She has also attended the Arts and Handicrafts School in St. John’s both as a student and as a voluntary worker.
Miss Murphy, from her earliest childhood, showed considerable interest and talent for all kinds of artistic endeavour. She has a very sensitive instinct for both colour and line, and her paintings are excellent – she is also interested in wood carving – interior decorating – the creating of novelties in wood and pottery, weaving and needlepoint, and she is very skillful at all these arts. If Miss Murphy were presented with the basic materials with which to produce, let us say, a lady’s wardrobe, to its achievement she could bring her skill in designing, sewing, needle-work-cut-work, smocking tatting, Italian quilting, braiding… sufficient it is to say that she has the creative ability which is the natural gift of the chosen few.
Miss Murphy is very enthusiastic about her work with Browing Brothers. She says that she cannot praise too highly the friendly co-operation which is shown her both from the directors and employees - when she wants something special for her work, everybody helps and this is the spirit which prevails among all the personnel of this firm.
She has brought something new and really worthwhile to Water Street. Her feeling for colour is amazingly sensitive and the above all, she seems to impart to whatever she handles that “woman’s touch” which is so difficult to define, easy to recognize and lovely to look at. It is encouraging to see this recognition of local talent to see a woman entering, with such notable success, a field hitherto reserved to men. Miss Murphy is blazing a trail which we hope will be followed by other girls with imagination and ability.